Coming Clean
by ProjectSynapse
Summary: When Vegeta loses his princess he learns the painful lesson that saiyans live longer than humans. Goku and Vegeta must teach each other how to cope with the loss as they reflect on their relationships with their wives. VegetaxBulma/GokuxChiChi/GohanxVidel
1. Heartstrings

**This story takes place many years after DBGT, but GT never happened. So Take the end of the Buu saga, and then add about 40 years, and you'll have your time setting. ****This is an insight into the relationships Goku and Vegeta had with their wives and families, and how the future might have played out for them. Keep in mind, Goku is still on Earth, never having left with the dragon. **

**So, I hope you enjoy this fic. Please be ready to get really, really sad.**

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter One - Heartstrings_

Dim fluorescent lights cast deep shadows across Vegeta's face. He sat slumped forward in his chair, both of his bulky hands outstretched to grasp their slender reflections. Her hands felt like dainty petals in his massive grip. Gazing down at her hollow features, the prince wondered if this was the same woman who had filled his chest with the fire of her scrappy attitude and then doused him with her wit for so many years. Life had been a constant battle with this woman. But to his surprise, Vegeta found himself rising every morning, more ready and willing each day to go into war than he had been the last.

He was the prince of all saiyans. He was the sole fear of people throughout the universe. He was a terrifyingly powerful force to everyone and everything he had ever encountered. Or so he had thought, until he met her. With an energy level that was barely on the charts and a body that was fragile at best, she had taken it upon herself to become his greatest adversary.

"Why aren't you fighting anymore?" he whispered ever so softly into her ear. It seemed to him that she had just given up. Desperately, he tried to reach her. He wanted her to do anything possible to survive; to live on; to stay...with him. With no response, though, he felt his hope diminishing and his urgency growing. His eyes pleaded with her unresponsive face.

Then suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope. He could see her eyes begin to flutter, and her lips purse in effort. And her eyes were open. And she looked at him. And he wept inside.

But the only thing that she saw on his face was the shimmer of a droplet, glistening in his eye. Just for an instant, and then it was gone. His raspy voice came down to kiss her ears, and she listened to the only thing in the world that mattered. "Please don't go."

All the energy she had left went into turning her face to look at him, and for the millionth time that day, Vegeta had to reflect back upon what had happened before. In an effort to help his struggling wife, Vegeta had given her a small portion of his energy, thinking it would help her to heal. Unfortunately, it had resulted in half an hour of resuscitation, and a thousand years of guilt on his part. So he was forced to sit by and watch as she expended all the strength she had to keep her eyes locked on his.

He repeated his plea, thinking that perhaps if he could communicate the gravity of the situation to her, she would understand. "Please, stay with me."

All that he received for his efforts was a tiny smile. She silently gazed up at him, knowing what was to come, and wishing that she could change the fates. They sat together, listening to the sounds of the machines in the room, both trying to forget that they were the only things keeping her alive. And when the time finally came, she opened her lips and prayed that her eyes would speak for her what she could never hope to say in the little time they had left. She told him the only thing that would ever matter to either of them. "I love you, Vegeta."

His voice hitched in his throat and he tried his best not to blink back the moisture gathering in his eyes, so that he would take in every movement of her face. Every line told a story that he never wanted to forget. Each argument, each passionate night of reconciliation, each fit of joy they had experienced together, and each moment of sorrow they had shared. When the heiress and the prince became parents, they had experienced lower lows and higher highs of emotion than either of them had ever previously thought possible.

But even after their children had grown, and after they had the house to themselves once more, the bond remained strong between them. No one else could ever possibly hope to understand their journey of love, and the story would be one that could never be properly told to anyone. Except that right now Vegeta _was _hearing, and seeing and smelling and touching that story. Their love was alive in her, and he understood that the story was coming to a close.

His fingers traced down the side of her face, stroking her like a precious doll. They entwined themselves in her beautiful hair, and dropped down again to caress her velvet-smooth skin. Vegeta couldn't bring himself to say anything, because he knew that when he did, she would know that she could leave. So he repeated his strokes, and brought his face as close as he possibly could to her hair, taking in her faint scent and trying his best to keep every memory alive.

He couldn't imagine life without her. It seemed to him that so many years ago when he had first come to Earth was the real beginning of his life. Everything before Namek seemed so vague and ridiculous now. He couldn't understand how that person who had wanted nothing more than destructive power could possibly be him. It was as if the first day he had spent on Earth was the real beginning of his life. And she was the catalyst to his life here. She was the person who made him who he truly should have been all along.

Suddenly he was overcome by the feeling of guilt. She had given him a new life and made him a better version of himself. And what had he given her in return?

He brought his eyes up again to meet hers, and as she looked at him, he realized that he had given her the fire that she had always needed to keep her sane. They were made for each other, and even as he thought about the husband and father he could have been for her, he understood that he was the husband and father that she needed him to be.

Just then, her lips tugged themselves into an upward curve, and he knew that this was her signal. Vegeta felt his heart begin to race, pumping faster and faster with the panic of her leaving, and he tried to raise his eyebrows in what could almost be called puppy-dog eyes as he attempted to get her to change her mind. But she was exhausted, and as he snaked his arm around her back, lifting her just slightly from the bed and pulling her to him, he heard her whisper those same words. "I love you, Vegeta."

And he touched his forehead to hers, their eyes inches apart, and her final breath gracing his cheeks. He lost the battle with himself, and a single tear streamed down his face as he placed a hand at the back of her head, trying to keep her as close as he could.

"I love you, _Bulma_."

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	2. Too Different

**I really hope all this sadness isn't turning anyone off, but trust me, there will be many more aspects to this story than the current one. I do hope you enjoy this next chapter, though :).**

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter Two - Too Different_

Goku's hand rubbed over his son's back gently as he sat beside him in the waiting room. It was a somber scene. Trunks sat with his jaw clenched, looking straight forward, as if he were seeing through the wall in front of him. Gohan stood with his back close to the wall, but not touching, feeling like he wouldn't be ready to help soon enough if he was needed if he relaxed his posture in any way. His father's strong hand patted and rubbed at his back comfortingly, hoping to get the man to settle down as much as he possibly could, even though he knew it was practically impossible for Gohan to be calm in a situation like this. Goten sat across the room from Trunks and everyone else. He kept avoiding the worried glances that Gohan continually shot toward him and his best friend.

All Goten could think about at this point was Trunks. He had inherited a bit of his worrying side from Gohan. It seemed that the way the two boys had dealt with pain all of their lives was to busy themselves with worrying about others' reactions. When Goku had disappeared so many times in the past, their mother had busied herself with chores and worrying about the boys' well-being in order to mask her own pain and wondering. It hadn't worked all the time, but she had certainly passed the idea along to her sons, whether or not she had intended to.

Bulla had fallen asleep hours before, and was now sitting in a slumped position against the wall next to her brother's feet. Although she was fully grown, the first place she had gone after the group's visit to her mother's room was right beside her brother, awaiting his comforting hand to stroke her long hair until she fell asleep. Trunks pulled himself from his stupor long enough to glance down at her, making sure she was still covered by the blanket one of the nurses had put on her. Then he returned to his trance.

Hesitantly breaking the long silence between the group, Videl cleared her throat as she approached from the hallway. "Guys? I was just down in the lunch room with Pan. If anyone else wants some, they're serving food right now."

Goku stood up and patted his stomach. "Well, I know I could go for some breakfast. How about you, Gohan? Goten?" his offer was more than just for food, however, and when neither of the men responded, he wasn't all too surprised. "Alright. Well, I'll be downstairs if anyone needs me." He grasped Videl by the shoulder as he walked by, and gave her a comforting, if weak, smile to thank her for her efforts.

She nodded to Goku, then walked across the room to take his seat next to Gohan. She looked up at him worriedly. "Gohan? Sweetie?"

Gohan glanced down at her for a moment. "Yes, dear?"

"Pan is down there eating all alone, and now she'll be the only one to answer for Goku's mess. Don't you think you should head down there to help her out a little?" she asked softly.

He smiled half-heartedly at his wife's caring nature. "I think she'll be alright, hun. She's had a lot of years of dealing with my father's eating habits."

She nodded, understanding that nothing could make her husband leave his post right now. The pair still made a beautiful couple as they were positioned next to each other in the hospital waiting room. Videl was almost 55, but with her beautiful complexion, soft skin and shiny hair, she didn't look a day over 40. And her husband, being half-saiyan, had barely aged at all over the years. He only looked stronger and more distinguished now.

Gohan let out a deep breath softly through his nose, and looked at his friend. "Trunks?"

He wasn't fazed when the lavender hair next to him didn't move. It wasn't that he was being rude. He was acknowledging that Gohan was talking to him. But he didn't move his face or make any comment, not knowing exactly what to reply, and not feeling like opening his mouth to speak.

Gohan looked at him and tried to ask his question, knowing full-well that he might not get a response, but not minding so much as wanting to pull the man from his thoughts as much as he could. "Trunks? Would you like to go in and see her again?"

There was a pause, but a short one, before he shook his head and answered simply in a hoarse voice. "My dad needs her."

Gohan nodded. "Okay."

They couldn't deny it. The room was full of saiyans, and over the last hour they had all sensed Bulma's energy fading. Gohan knew that Bulma Briefs was not long for this world. But he also understood why her children knew Vegeta needed to be with her alone in her final moments.

And then it happened. All four of the saiyans felt it. With one final tiny spark, she was gone. It had awakened Bulla from her sleep, and as Gohan looked down, he saw her press her face into her brother's leg.

Goten's heart skipped a beat as he watched for his best friend's reaction. Trunk's face was stone. Even more so now than before. Gohan debated for a short time going downstairs to make sure his daughter was okay. But after a moment's thought, he knew he was needed here more. He felt his wife's hand come gently to rest on his shoulder. She looked up at him with soft eyes filled with tears. Videl had been around them all long enough to know when they sensed something had happened.

After a while, Trunks snapped out of his spell and reached his hands down to envelop his sister's face. Gohan nodded to the rest of the group, knowing that they needed some time together. The Son family left the two alone, heading downstairs to find Goku.

With tears streaming down her face, Bulla looked up into Trunks' eyes and let out a whimper. "She's gone, Trunks," was all she managed. She felt her big brother's arms wrap around her in an embrace that was almost as much for himself as it was for her.

Downstairs, the rest of the family found Goku and Pan sitting alone at a table. Goku's hand was at the back of Pan's head, stroking her short raven hair as she cried into his chest. He tried to whisper comforting things to her, and she responded by crying into his shirt, "I can't believe she's gone, Grandpa."

All Goku could do as he mourned the loss of his oldest friend was say to her softly, "I know, Pan. I know."

As her father, mother, and uncle arrived, Pan sniffed and tried to sit up a little. "Dad..."

Gohan nodded knowingly, and sat down next to her, extending an arm for her to settle into. "I know, sweetie."

Hours passed before anyone made a move to go near Bulma's room. Finally, though, Goku made the decision to go in and check on Vegeta. He found the room number, and clicked the door open as slowly and quietly as he could.

As he entered the room, he could barely see a thing at first, since someone had apparently shut off the lights and the only thing keeping the room lit were monitors. The room was eerily quiet, with the sound of humming machines all but gone, and nothing else to be heard but soft breathing.

He found his way to the bed, and looked down to see the prince laying across it. His body was more in the bed than it was on the chair, and his arms were wrapped around the heiress' left arm tightly. The soft breathing, however, was only coming from Vegeta.

Goku wasn't entirely surprised that he had fallen asleep, being that the prince had remained awake for almost three days straight. What he _was _surprised about was that Bulma hadn't been taken from the room yet. It had been hours, and it didn't seem as though any of the hospital staff had touched her.

He noticed Vegeta's eyelids begin to twitch slightly, and he realized that he had probably woken him up with his presence. "Vegeta?" he whispered extremely softly, checking to see if he was in fact awake, but not wishing to wake him if he wasn't. He awaited an answer as he tried to breathe as softly as he could.

"Kakarot..." Vegeta whispered groggily. He raised his head slightly. There was a pause between them, and he looked up. "They tried to take her, Kakarot. They tried to get their hands on her."

Goku's heart sank. So that was why she was still here. None of the hospital staff were brave enough to attempt to take away the prince's wife. He didn't blame them. "Vegeta..." he didn't quite know what to say, so he asked the obvious question. "How are you doing?"

"Don't patronize me," he looked back down at his motionless wife. "You know exactly how I'm doing."

Goku nodded slowly, trying not to come on too strongly. "Vegeta, your son and your daughter are out there. They lost someone, too."

"And they have each other," he stated simply. He pushed himself back slightly into his chair, but didn't release his wife's hand. Looking up at Goku, he made it blatantly clear that he had no intention of leaving her anytime soon.

"Okay," Goku said gently. He decided to take a different approach. "Listen, Vegeta, I understand how hard it can be when you lose the person you love-"

Vegeta held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Please. Don't lecture me on the value of family. I understand that you lost your wife, too. But that doesn't mean you know what this is like." Looking down at his wife, he continued. "This woman made me who I am today. You will never understand what that is like, Kakarot. No one will."

Trying his best not to offend the prince, Goku pulled a chair up to the opposite side of the bed and sat down. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Vegeta. I think if you knew a little more about me, you'd think differently."

Vegeta sneered. "Oh, please. Don't pretend like you have some secret life to impress me, Kakarot. You know as well as I do that we are nothing alike."

Goku raised a brow. "Vegeta, you'd be surprised at how alike we are if you knew some of the things that have happened with Chi Chi and me."

As sarcastically as he possibly could, Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Oh, _do_ tell."

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	3. Chi Chi's Night Out

**This chapter will be a nice change of pace, I think. Hope you all enjoy! :)**

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter Three - Chi Chi's Night Out_

Goku grinned as he sat back. "Well, if you insist..."

Knowing that nothing was going to stop the inevitable, Vegeta succumbed to the oncoming story the buffoon was sure to use in order to convince him.

****

*Many Years Earlier...*

"Goku!" Chi Chi shouted into the growing darkness of the forest. "Goku!" she placed both hands on her hips as she repeated her call. No answer. No surprise. She rubbed her delicate hands between the folds of her apron before wiping her face with the back of her palm. She had been in the kitchen all day, cooking dinner, and _this_ was the thanks she got? "Goku!"

"Yeah?" Goku finally responded as he dropped down from above. She rolled her eyes.

"Goku, when are you going to start coming home on time for dinner?"

He gave it some thought. "Gosh, I don't know, Chi Chi. I thought it was time for dinner when I hear you yell."

"It's the same time every night, Goku. Maybe one of these nights I won't have to shout for you," she sighed to herself.

"There you go, Chi Chi. It's good to keep your hopes up!" Goku patted her on the back comfortingly, completely unaware of the frustration he was causing his wife. He kissed her on the cheek, then made his way past her into the kitchen to seat himself at the table next to his son.

"Hey, Gohan!" he said in a baby-talk voice, patting his infant son on the head and causing him to giggle and murmur in response.

Chi Chi turned toward the boys, arms still folded, and addressed her husband. "Listen, Goku. I need to go to the store to pick a few things up. Now, since we don't have a car, I usually have to walk to the store. But Bulma's offered to give me a ride, so I'm going out now."

"R-Wha?" Goku managed to respond, cheeks stuffed with rice and fish. He swallowed it all in one huge gulp, then looked at his wife curiously. "You mean you're leaving?"

"Yes. So that means that I'll need you to keep an eye on Gohan," she answered casually as she pulled her purse strap over the shoulder of her coat.

"But, Chi Chi, you know I've never taken care of Gohan on my own before," Goku countered a bit nervously.

She smiled back at him. "I know, but you're his father. You'll be fine. And besides, you've seen me do everything long enough that I'm sure you'll be able to take care of him. All you need to do is feed him his dinner," she nodded toward the counter where a mush of cream and rice sat, "give him a bath, and put him to bed. And make sure you read to him from one of his science books while he goes to sleep."

Goku tried to lift himself from the table quickly enough to slow her down, but before he could even open his mouth, she was calling, "Love you, boys. See you in a few hours!" and dashing out the door toward Bulma's approaching hover-car.

There was a moment of intimidating silence in the room before Goku turned to his son. "Well, buddy, I guess it's just you and me tonight."

Gohan's eyes lit up, and Goku leaned his face in closer. "Yeah, you like that, don't you, Gohan?" he continued in baby-speak as he poked his son in the belly.

Gohan went on giggling for a few seconds before he stopped and looked up at his father with wide eyes. "Bruhhh..." and suddenly they were both covered in a viscous fluid.

Goku looked down at his training clothes and frowned for a split second. But before he could correct his facial expression, Gohan was already screaming with disappointment in his own actions. His father's frown had told him that he had done something wrong, and now he was upset.

"Oh, no," Goku pleaded with his son. "Gohan, come on. Everything's fine. We're all happy here! Yay! Happy! See?" he added a desperate smile. "See? Happy! Can you smile, Gohan?"

Gohan was a bit confused, so he quieted his crying and watched his father's face carefully. "Yeah, that's it, Gohan. Everything's fine. Hey, would you like some rice...goop?" Goku asked as he stood to grab his son's dinner from the counter. "Here."

He grabbed a spoon from beside his plate and placed some of the mush in front of Gohan's face. Gohan opened his mouth obediently, and he pushed the rice mixture inside. Unfortunately, Gohan's eyes then flew open, and suddenly they were both covered in rice as well as the previous substance. Goku looked down at himself, then grabbed a dish towel that was sitting on the stove next to them and wiped them both off, confused as to why his son was suddenly giggling.

"Okay, let's try that one more time..." Goku dished a smaller amount onto the spoon and put on a false face of excitement as he pushed it into Gohan's mouth.

"BLEH!" Gohan shouted as the food flew from his mouth once more. After cleaning the rice from his hair, Goku stood up with his hands on his hips. He had never backed down from a challenge before, and this wouldn't be his first. "Alright, Gohan, why won't you eat-" then he stopped. Looking downwards, he noticed the tiny spoon sitting next to Gohan's highchair. Ohhh.

He grasped the spoon and dished up a tiny amount to offer his son. "Here we go, Gohan. Yeah, that's right. Eat up," he cooed as he pushed the white goo into the boy's mouth. After he had eaten his fill, Goku sat back in his chair and watched his son gurgle. Then he learned the most important lesson of child-feeding. Never leave the food in front of him afterwards.

Twenty minutes later, after Goku had managed to get the both of them into and out of the bath and wipe most of the white substance from the walls and cupboards, he leaned over his son's bed and gently set him into it. He turned to grab a book from the shelf, and since he wasn't entirely sure of the contents of any of the books based on their titles, he just guessed that any of them would work, and picked one at random.

He pulled up a chair to sit beside his son's crib, and bowed his head over the book as he turned to the first page. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on the top of his head, and looked up to see Gohan grasping his long tufts of hair and yanking on them as hard as he could. "Yowch!" he yelped, and grabbed his son's arms gently. "Come on, Gohan. Let go of Daddy's hair."

Gohan giggled and held on more tightly. "Come on, Gohan. Let go," Goku instructed a bit more seriously. He felt his son begin to tip out of the crib, putting all his weight on his father's locks. "Gohan, please, let-" he grasped his son's tiny hands in his own and gently yanked them away from his head. As Gohan began his screaming again, Goku tried to calm him down. He shushed him and rubbed his back gently, and after a few minutes, he realized why his son was acting so fussy. He patted the boy's bottom, and sure enough he felt moisture.

Goku sighed and picked his son back up from his crib. As they approached the changing table, Gohan began to murmur softly, letting his dad know he was on the right track.

He placed Gohan on his back and removed the wet diaper. Then he stopped.

What now?

He had seen Chi Chi do it several times and it hadn't looked too hard, but now that he was face-to-face with the problem...he wasn't sure where to go from there. He grabbed a fresh diaper from the stack and placed it next to Gohan. Hmmm...how did those straps go again?

He tried to lift the boy's bottom and practice, but he didn't get very far before he was kicked in the arms about a hundred times in a minute.

"Ugh, Gohan, stop," he pleaded. "Gohan, sit still..." he struggled back and forth with his son for a few minutes, then realized that there was a slight trickle running down the changing table. Oh, no.

Two hours later, Chi Chi stepped inside a quiet house and set down several bags of groceries, noting that when she did so, the bags made an unusual noise. She pulled them back up again, noticing the sticky substance on their bottoms. It looked as if there was something white and sticky all over the table, and someone had taken a dry towel and smeared it around.

She turned up her nose before going to the sink to get a washcloth. After she had cleaned up the kitchen and put away the groceries, she made her way into the bedroom to find her husband and son, lying on the floor, out cold.

Gohan was cooing softly in his sleep, wrapped up in his father's arms. Goku was lying on his back, mouth wide open, snoring. But the most surprising thing about the sight was that Goku's head was covered by what appeared to be a diaper, and Gohan was lying on the floor with his bottom half completely uncovered. She smiled at her husband's valiant effort, then picked up her baby and cleaned him up. She placed him in his bed with a clean diaper, and cleaned the changing table.

After everything was put away in its rightful place and their baby was softly murmuring in his crib, Chi Chi woke her tired husband.

Goku shot up from his sleep. "Chi Chi! I'm so sorry! I was trying to put him to bed, but he was fussy because his diaper was dirty, and then there was a huge mess and I couldn't get him to sit still, and there was rice everywhere, and-"

"Shh, shh," she stroked his hair comfortingly. "It's alright, Goku."

He looked at her, curious as to why she hadn't scolded him for his irresponsibility yet. She just smiled at him. "Goku, you did a good job for your first time. You're a great father, and you took care of your son just fine. Look."

She brought him over to the crib where Gohan was sleeping soundly. "See? He's happy. And I'm happy."

He shook his head. "Chi Chi, I don't know how you do it all the time. I'm sorry I haven't been very helpful until now. I promise I'll help out with Gohan more from now on."

She smiled back at him. "That's just what I was hoping you'd say."

He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and held her close. "I love you, Chi Chi."

****

*Many years Later...*

Goku looked at Vegeta, awaiting his reaction to the story. "So, from then on, I understood a lot more about what it meant to be a parent. Chi Chi was a great mother, and it took her being a good wife to show me what it meant to be a good father."

"Well, that's very touching, and all," Vegeta replied, surprisingly little sarcastic bite in his tone. "But it still doesn't explain how you think you understand what I'm going through.

Just then, they were interrupted by the room door opening slowly, and someone peeking their head in on the scene.

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	4. InVidelity

**So this chapter will be split into two parts, as will a few others in this story. But don't worry, I'll have the other half up soon! :)**

**This chapter is GohanxVidel-related, as will be the next one (obviously). Hope you like it! **

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter Four - InVidelity_

Both the saiyans looked up from their conversation to see Gohan's head enter the room, slowly followed by his body. "Hey, Dad. Sorry to interrupt. You've been in here for a while. I was just checking to see how you guys were doing."

Years ago, Vegeta would probably have made a snide remark about the man's constant nosiness. But thinking about it now, it wasn't his feelings that stopped him. The prince still had the urge to cut down the intruder, but as he cast a glance down at his wife, still looking peacefully asleep, he realized that she had always stood up for Gohan. So perhaps he shouldn't be so hard on him now.

Goku smiled at his son's concern for them. "Everything's fine, Gohan. I was just telling Vegeta about the time I babysat you for the first time."

Gohan grinned nostalgically. "Yeah, I remember that was one of Mom's favorite stories to tell me growing up."

Vegeta decided it was his turn to interrupt. "While it was entertaining to hear about Kakarot's deficiencies as a father, the reason we started 'telling stories'…" he said with slight distaste at the idea, "Was because your father seems to think that your parents' relationship was comparable to ours. What neither of you will ever understand is what it's like to go from killing people as a regular habit to settling down on a planet of weaklings all because of one person. This woman changed me in a way that none of you could ever understand."

Gohan nodded. "You're probably right, Vegeta. You guys did go through things together that no one on Earth could ever believe. But what you don't realize is that we've both found love too. And when you've found love, you kind of tend to think that you know what other people go through when they're in love."

When he had finished his statement Vegeta didn't look anymore convinced than he had in the beginning. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "While I realize that you're trying to help, boy, I can't help but wonder if you think that you know what you're talking about." He just couldn't resist a little dig at the half-breed. "I understand that you and your wife are happy together, but Bulma and I were quite different than any of you. For one thing, you two seem to get along perfectly well, with your constant displays of affection and your lack of arguments. For us, it was nothing _but _arguing that kept us together."

"Well, I appreciate the compliment to our relationship," Gohan started, noting Vegeta's expression at the word compliment and knowing full-well that his comment was not supposed to be taken as any form of commendation. "But if you think that Videl and I never fight, then you'd be wrong."

At this the prince laughed. "Oh, sure, a little argument over the place settings at dinner - call a lawyer!"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "No, really Vegeta. Why, I remember a few years back when we had a whole week of nothing but arguments and suspicion between us."

***Many Years Ago…***

Gohan plopped himself onto the couch in his flannels, and grabbed for the remote. Pulling a bowl of popcorn into his lap, he began to munch away while he waited for his wife to come out of the bedroom.

He watched a few commercials before he began to wonder what was taking her so long. "Videl? Honey?" he called out.

No answer. "Sweetie? What's taking so long in there?"

Just as he started to lift himself up from the couch, Videl shot out of the room in a flash, pulling a long, dark coat over her body and rushing toward the door. "Hi honey, what are you up to?"

Gohan looked at her in disbelief. "Videl! You know what I'm up to. It's movie night, remember? Pan is at her friend's house for the night, and we were supposed to be watching movies together."

She stopped short of the doorway to turn to him. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry." She dropped her arms from her hair, which she had been fixing. "I was just on my way out. I completely forgot. I made plans with Erasa to go out tonight," she added a pout at the end.

He looked down into his bowl. "Oh. Well, that's alright. You two girls go ahead and have fun. I can watch movies by myself. Maybe I'll call Trunks or Goten."

Videl had just been slipping on her shoes when she looked up. "Oh, no, honey, I think Goten said something earlier this week about being busy this weekend."

Gohan rolled his eyes at this. "Oh, sure. _That _you remember."

She frowned. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'll make this up to you, I promise." She finished her statement with a kiss on his forehead, leaving Gohan feeling a bit emasculated, to say the least, as she rushed toward the door and shut it behind her, leaving him to sit on the couch in the glow of the television alone.

He sighed and tossed the popcorn onto the table in front of him. Well, there was nothing left to do but watch some TV and head to bed.

Hours later, Gohan rolled over in his sleep. His arm was draped clumsily over the side of the couch which he had never left, falling asleep shortly after the show he had been watching ended. The noise which had caused his disturbed sleep crept across the room as quietly as it could…before running straight into the wall on its way to the bedroom.

"Ouch! Who puts a wall there?"

"Huh?" Gohan mumbled out into the darkness. "Who's there?" Sleepily, he rubbed his eyes as he sat up. Even before she turned the light on, though, Gohan recognized the energy signature to be his wife's.

"Videl? What are you doing home so late? I thought you were just going out with the girls tonight," he finished his statement with a glance at the clock on the table, noting the glowing numbers to be 3:45.

Videl chuckled in a manner which Gohan could almost call nervousness. "Well, you know Erasa. One thing leads to another, and we're out all night."

Her husband nodded slowly, even though he knew for a fact she had never been out with her girl friends this late before. "Yeah. Okay," he said tiredly. "Well, I'm going to bed. I'll see you in there?"

"Mm-hm," she nodded quickly, and headed straight for the bathroom, letting down her hair as she went.

Two days later, Gohan sat at the dinner table with his daughter, hungrily awaiting the arrival of his wife. She was two hours late, and it was long after dark. Finally, the two heard the front door burst open as Videl crashed in with arms full of bags.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late," she tossed the apology over her shoulder.

Gohan stood to help her with the giant brown bags. "What took you so long, hon?"

She let out a big breath of over-emphasized frustration. "Oh, there was this huge accident downtown and traffic was backed up everywhere." She turned to the kitchen and changed the subject. "Oooh. Something smells good."

Gohan gave a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, I figured I would just make dinner when you didn't get home in time."

"We waited for you, though, Mom," Pan piped up from behind her father.

Videl smiled as she wiped her forehead with her sleeve. "Thanks, guys."

Gohan nodded kindly, but eyed his wife from behind. He had never seen her come home from the grocery store so sweaty.

After dinner, the couple lingered in the kitchen, putting away dishes from the meal. As she reached up to place a dish on the top shelf, Gohan looked at his wife. She had more bounce in her step than usual, and she seemed to be gliding around the room effortlessly. He sighed as he watched her slender form dance about. "Videl?"

She distractedly eyed her reflection in a plate. "Mm?"

"You've been awfully…well, what I mean to say is…you don't seem to be around as much lately," Gohan stated finally, looking at the floor.

She stopped her movements and looked at her husband. "What? What do you mean?"

"Well…I don't know. It's just…where were you tonight?" he asked, beginning to fidget.

She looked away, going back to her previous chore. "I told you dear. I was at the store. But on the way back, someone got in an accident and it took longer than I thought."

He shook his head. "It took you four hours to go to the store?"

"It was a bad accident."

Silence took over and they both grabbed for a clean plate. Finally, Gohan sighed. "Alright, I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I'm glad you're okay."

She gave him a tiny smile. "Thank you. I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied as she kissed him on the cheek.

Two weeks passed, and Gohan found himself doubting his wife more and more. It was half past ten, and Videl had been gone "shopping" for more than six hours. He tapped his hands on the coffee table. She wouldn't lie to him…would she? No. He let a puff of air out from his lungs and interlocked his hands behind his head as he slumped into the couch. No, Videl would never lie to him. He was acting crazy, Gohan assured himself.

Just then, he felt her energy approaching. He looked out the window and watched her come up to the driveway, once again wiping sweat from her face and neck. He saw her pull a tiny bottle of perfume from her jacket and spritz it all over her body just before she reached the door. As he saw her reach for the handle, Gohan dashed back to the couch and turned on the television. "Hi, honey," he said nonchalantly over his shoulder.

She smiled. "Hey, sweetie."

"How was shopping?" he asked innocently.

"Oh, fine," she answered, pulling at her jacket sleeve.

He turned his body to face her. "Did you forget your bags in the car?"

A beat. She cleared her throat. "No."

"Well then, where are all your little treasures?" he asked as sweetly as he could.

"Oh, I didn't buy anything," she answered quickly, a bit of a waiver in her voice.

"Oh?" he countered. "Nothing at all? Six hours downtown and you didn't buy anything?"

She shook her head casually, then draped her purse over the rack behind her, turning back to find her husband standing uncomfortably close. "Nope," she added for good measure, speaking almost directly into his chest.

"Imagine that. All that time at the shops, and nothing to show for it," he purred into her ear, gaining a bit of a dangerous edge in his voice.

"Yeah," she stated, starting to show signs that harkened back to her teenage years with the attitude she was showing. She pushed him away. "Gohan! What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_?" he raised his voice slightly. "Nothing. I was just wondering how it's possible to spend that much time away from your family a week, and come home with nothing to show for it."

She raised an eyebrow for an instant, then dropped her gaze to the ground and pushed past him. "You're acting weird, Gohan. I'll be in the shower if you need me." With that, she marched across the room and slammed the bathroom door.

Gohan let himself fall to the couch. What _was_ wrong with him?

The next night, Gohan decided to put all his fears to rest. His wife would never lie to him, and he knew it. He just needed to prove that fact to himself one more time. One time, and this would all be shown to be a figment of his imagination.

So, as he watched Videl put on her shoes and jacket and say her goodbye for the night, he replied in the most saccharine voice possible. "Have fun with the girls, sweetheart."

Just as he heard the door close and felt her energy walk down the block to "meet Erasa", he pulled himself up from the couch and made his way to the window. He lifted it open, and shot up into the sky, keeping himself a safe distance from his wife. He remained locked onto her energy, though, and followed her down the block. And the next block. And the next block. Finally, he watched as she lifted off from the ground and flew up to almost his level in the sky.

Panicking, he quickly doubled his altitude and looked down at her to see if she would rise any higher in the night air. She looked around, and after a second, shot off in the opposite direction than she had been walking. Confused, he followed her for over a mile, and slowed down when he realized she was coming to a stop. He waited until she came to a complete stop before he dropped his flight completely, long enough to fall almost to the ground. Then, hovering just behind a tree, he waited.

A few minutes passed, and nothing was happening. He was sure she could hear his heart pounding as the realization came to him that his wife _had_, in fact, lied to him, and now it was just a matter of _why. _

Finally, seemingly materializing out of thin air, a figure appeared in the night sky next to her. It seemed to be…a man. But he was flying. Videl knew someone else who could fly?

He waited for them to speak, and his finely-tuned ears picked up on their conversation.

"Hi," Videl said, smiling.

"Hey," the man replied. Nudging her. "Ready to go?"

His wife nodded, and the pair flew toward him slowly, gaining speed, but talking softly.

"How's it going back home? You're sure he still doesn't know?" the man, whose voice was beginning to sound oddly familiar to Gohan, asked.

Videl shook her head. "No, he has no idea. He was asking me a lot of questions yesterday, but he got over it and he was really nice to me today. I just have to make sure to be more careful about the details."

As the pair flew closer, Gohan began to make out the shape of the man's face. He gazed closely at his hair and his eyes, and in the cold night air, suddenly, Gohan was struck completely dumbfounded.

The man Videl was flying off into the night with was…Goten?

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	5. InVidelity Part Two

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's a little melodramatic, but hopefully still good. :P**

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter Five - InVidelity Part Two_

Gohan fell from the sky, causing a loud crash as he landed in the yard below him. Trying his best not to let his power level be noticed by his brother, he shot through the night air back toward his home. Flying low to the ground, he finally arrived and darted back through the window, landing on the couch as he pulled twigs from his hair.

His mind was fixated on one thought, and one thought only. His _brother_? What the hell was going on? Gohan's eyes dropped to the table in front of him where the phone sat invitingly. He grabbed for it, dialing the only person he could think to talk to.

"Hello?" the voice answered on the other end of the line.

"Trunks, I need your help," Gohan uttered quickly.

There was a slight pause. "Gohan? Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Listen, I just need to know. Do you know where Goten is tonight?" he asked forcefully.

Trunks blew out a breath. "No, I can't say I do."

"Trunks, I'm serious. If you know where he is, you have to tell me."

"No, man," he answered quickly. "I honestly do not know."

Gohan snorted, and beat his arm against the wall softly. "Alright, can you keep a secret?" he finally asked him, giving up on his hunt for the truth momentarily.

Another pause. "Yeah, of course."

"I…" Gohan couldn't believe what he was about to say. "I think Videl may be having an affair."

On the other end, Gohan could hear Trunks' breathing, but no response came for quite some time. "You…you _think_?"

"Well," he started. "I don't know for sure. She's been acting really weird lately, and we haven't really been getting along. And then tonight when she said she was going out with the girls, I followed her to see where she was going, and…she was meeting someone else."

"You saw him?" Trunks asked immediately.

Gohan sighed. "Yes."

"Do you know who it was?"

"Yes."

Trunks was getting impatient. "Well, who was it?"

He hung his head as he answered. "It was my brother."

Trunks couldn't find the words to say, apparently, because the line quickly went dead against Gohan's ear. "Goten? You saw her with Goten?"

"Yes."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Trunks asked, suddenly seeming less distraught than he had at the beginning of the conversation.

"I don't know. That's why I called you. What do you think I should do?" Gohan asked, his voice straining.

"I don't know, man. Look, I say don't do anything at all until you're completely sure of what they're doing."

Gohan nodded. "Alright. Thanks. I should go."

"Hey," Trunks stopped him. "You okay?"

Gohan's voice hitched in his throat. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

He hung up the phone and let his body collapse on the couch once more. It was a good thing his daughter wasn't around to see Daddy have a nervous breakdown. He sat there all night, awaiting his wife's return. Just past midnight, Videl walked through the door. Noticing him on the couch, she came over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, honey."

He watched her come toward him, and turned his back on her. "Hello, dear."

She stopped, confused. "What's wrong? "

He shook his head, and after a moment, replied, "Tomorrow's our anniversary. The anniversary of our _wedding_."

She tilted her head to the side. "Yes…that _is_ what we've been celebrating these past few years, isn't it?" She gave him a small, baffled grin.

"I'm going to bed," was his only answer as he got up and made his way to the bedroom, softly closing the door and leaving Videl to stand in silence.

The next day, Gohan awoke to find his bed empty. He rolled over and noticed a note on his wife's pillow.

_Out with Goten. Be back later._

_Love, Videl._

The scrawling letters sent anger shooting through his body. Now she was just going to be blatant about it? And on their anniversary? How could she be so heartless? Gohan shot out of bed, pulling on pants and a shirt, and quickly strode out the front door. This would end. Now.

He flew over the distance between his house and the Briefs'. That was usually where you could find him. After some time, he finally locked onto his brother's power signal. It was in a secluded area of the forest. A place the brothers used to go to train with their father. What were they doing there? Gohan shuddered. He was about to find out.

He blasted off toward Goten's energy, and getting closer and closer, he began to feel his wife's as well. Lowering himself to the ground, he flew close to ground level as he approached. He saw his wife's form standing close to his brother's…in fact…he was holding her!

Gohan felt himself fill with rage as he shot toward them. Finally, he landed, surprising the pair entirely.

Videl pushed herself away from his brother. "Gohan! What are you doing here?"

He folded his arms and did all he could not to explode. "I could ask you the same question."

She scowled. "What do you mean?"

"Videl, I know. I know about everything."

Goten and Videl exchanged glances. Goten stepped forward. "I don't think you do, Gohan."

Gohan shook his head and pointed a finger at his wife. "You've been lying to me for the past few weeks…you've been sneaking around with…with my own _brother!_ How could you two do something like this?" he shouted.

Videl tried to calm her husband down. "Gohan, listen, it's not what you think."

"Oh really?" he turned his menacing gaze to his brother. "It's not? Because last time I checked with my wife, she was 'just going out with her girlfriends'. So I follow her-"

"You _followed_ me?" Videl interrupted.

"Yes," he replied, whirling on her again. "I did. And I'm glad I did, because I ended up finding out something I should have a long time ago."

She folded her arms, becoming a bit fed up with the charade. "And what's that?"

His eyes blazed. "Do you really need to ask? I found out that you two were sneaking around together!"

Both Goten and Videl became completely silent. Finally, they turned to each other and burst out laughing. Gohan just became more enraged. "You think it's funny? You think this is a joke?"

Leaning against Goten for support, Videl choked out once her laughter had subsided, "Yes. That is a joke. I can't believe that's what you thought! Gohan…we're not having an affair."

Gohan's head began to cool and he stepped back slightly. "You're…you're not?"

She shook her head, smiling, and Goten answered, "I was training her, Gohan."

He was absolutely silent for a moment, absorbing the new information and adding it up with the previous clues. Finally, he opened his dry mouth to repeat the answer. "Training her?"

His wife nodded. Then she stepped away from the group, donning a face of absolute concentration. A few minutes passed, and finally a tiny light began to glow in her hands. Her brow furrowed as the light grew, very slowly filling the space between her palms. Goten beamed, and clapped his hands. "Yeah, finally! Go Videl!"

She grinned as she looked up, and then tossed the ball of energy Gohan's way to catch it. He didn't move, and the ball struck him in the chest. He felt its warm glow for an instant before it dissipated. Gohan was speechless.

Videl called to him from her position a few feet away. "I was training with Goten so that I could finally show you my first energy wave. It's not much, but I worked really hard to get here. It's not as easy for me as it is for you saiyans," she finished her sentence with a nudge to Goten's shoulder. "It was my present to you."

Gohan shook his head. "I…I can't believe you did this for me."

Goten laughed and patted his brother's back before taking off into the sky to leave the couple alone. "Happy anniversary, bro."

***Many Years Later…***

"So that's when I realized that I needed to trust my wife more. Course, that doesn't mean we still don't argue, but…yeah, we all have our issues, you know?" Gohan finished.

Vegeta nodded quietly. "Your story was entertaining, I'll give you that."

Gohan smiled. "Well…thanks…I guess."

Goku looked at Vegeta from across the room. "Vegeta, it's been hours."

The prince looked down to his knee, where he was still stroking the hand of his princess. He shook his head, and didn't answer for a long time. Finally he stated in a raspy voice. "No, Kakarot."

Gohan looked at his father with concern in his eyes. "Please, Vegeta. She wanted to be cremated, and you need to let the doctors do what needs to be done."

All three men sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Vegeta stood up, and removed the wires flowing into his wife's body. He unplugged her machines, slowly and tediously, and finally picked her up, pulling her body close to his. When he stopped moving and stood, silently looking at the youngest of the three, Gohan took this as his cue.

He left the room, returning shortly with a two doctors. One of the men walked forward for Vegeta to place his wife in his outstretched arms. The prince slowly did so, but immediately afterward, his arm shot out to grab the remaining doctor by his collar and raise him into the air. Gohan shot forward, but was stopped by his father's arm.

Vegeta looked straight into the man's eyes and hissed, "You will do exactly what she wanted you to do with her body. Nothing more, and nothing less. You two will be the only one to touch her besides me. Do you understand?"

Scared speechless, the doctor bobbed his head violently up and down.

"Good," Vegeta replied. Then he lowered the man to the ground again, placing his feet gently back where they had been originally.

The two doctors dashed from the room as quickly as they could, and Vegeta collapsed back into his chair. If Goku didn't know any better, he would say that the prince looked exhausted, like someone who had just come to the end of a long and tiring journey.

The room was quiet for a long time, and none of the saiyans moved until Vegeta finally propped himself up in his chair after what seemed like hours. A whisper of a smile moved across his lips as he opened them. "You know…" he began. "I still don't believe that woman was entirely human."

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**Liked it? Hated it? Review and scold and/or praise me! :D**


	6. The Chat Room Experiment

**This chapter gets a bit silly...I figured a change of pace was in order every once in a while :P. **

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter Six - The Chat Room Experiment_

Goku smiled weakly. "I don't think any of us did. Bulma was definitely one-of-a-kind."

Vegeta shook his head and smiled a little more, nostalgically leaning back to push the top of his seat against the wall. "Kakarot, that woman was more than even I could handle sometimes."

Gohan chuckled softly and gave Vegeta a look. The prince scowled back at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Gohan laughed. "It's just…remember the first time she made you go to the mall to get new clothes?"

Surprisingly, Vegeta smiled in response. "That was a mistake she didn't make again for a while."

Goku laughed at the memory. "Yeah, but she _did_ get you to go back there eventually."

"Hmph," Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest. "That was my own choice. Not my fault these earthling garments wear out so easily."

Goku just rolled his eyes. Then he sat up straighter suddenly. "Hey, you remember the time she and Chi Chi tried to make us more 'cultured' and they took us to the ice dancers?"

"…And I blasted a hole in the rink so the so-called 'dancers' fell and injured themselves?" Vegeta laughed out loud at this.

Goku began to chuckle warmly. Then he stopped. "Hey, Vegeta! You said they didn't get hurt!"

Vegeta smirked. "Oh, come on, Kakarot. Do you think I would have found it entertaining if they hadn't?"

Gohan interrupted them both. "Hey, remember when she made us all get laptops so that we could instant message each other?"

***Many Years Earlier…***

"Here, Trunks," Bulma extended her arms toward her son, holding a computer. "Give this to Goten. You're going to be over at his house later tonight, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but why are you giving me a laptop for Goten?"

"It's not just for Goten, Trunks. It's for the whole family. I want us to be able to talk to each other more often, and it's like that household lives in the stone age!" Bulma shook her head at her best friend's old-fashioned tendencies.

Later that night, Bulma received a call from Chi Chi asking her a favor. By the end of the evening, the Son house had two computers - one with peanut butter sticking the keys together, and one that was clean.

The rest of the week, Bulma proceeded with her little mission and made sure that Gohan's house, Goku's house, and their own house had their very own computers, and she spent plenty of time teaching her oldest friends how to use them.

Eventually, though, everyone got the hang of it. Everyone, that is, except for one haughty prince.

"How many times I am I going to have to tell you no, woman?" Vegeta scowled. "I will not take part in such foolishness."

Bulma put a hand on her hip. "Come _on_, Vegeta! You promised you would do _one_ nice thing for me this month, in return for adding the adjustments to the gravity area."

He smirked. "No, no, no. I said nothing of the sort," he shook his head bemusedly and reached for the handle of the refrigerator.

…Which Bulma stepped quickly in front of. "Oh? Then what _did _you say?"

He stopped for a moment, grabbed her waist with both hands, and lifted her up, placing her back on the floor behind him in order to reach his destination, as if she were no more of an inconvenience than a box of cereal. Which she was. "I believe what happened was that you adjusted my training facilities to the specifications I gave you, and afterward as I was walking in, I said that I owed you one." He turned back to face her after getting his bottle of apple juice. "_You_ were the one who made up all that nonsense about agreements and time limits and favors."

She opened her mouth to respond, then suddenly, a thoughtful look glazed across her face and she stopped, grinning at him for a moment. Then she turned and walked out of the room.

"Where are you going, woman?" Vegeta asked, despite himself. "Admitting defeat already?"

She laughed over her shoulder, and came to a halt in the hallway. "Nope. I just think you're funny."

At this, he paused from drinking his apple juice and the smug look on his face disappeared. "And just how do you suppose that I should be taken as 'funny'?"

She smiled at him innocently. "Well, I just think it's funny how you're always telling me how smart you are and how much you know, and yet…you're afraid to learn to use a computer."

His face suddenly became serious. "What do you mean I'm _afraid_? I know how to use a computer. I've been using them since before-"

"…I was born, yeah, I know, you've told me before. I've just never seen you actually use one, and I think it's because you're making it up," she finished with a grin.

That was it. Vegeta knew she was only doing it to get her way, but he'd be damned if he was going to let her win this one. Even if it meant letting her win the previous one.

And so, the great age of instant messaging was ushered in for the Z-gang.

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**BBscienceprincess: **u know, u should really pick a better name than that, chi

**Warriormom123: **whats wrong with this one?

**BBscienceprincess: **nothing. i just think you should pick 1 thats cuter like mine

**Warriormom123: **well i like this 1 better. it seems more like me

**Gokuimbecile: **i liok it to p chi chiu

**BBscienceprincess: **we should never have let vegeta help him pick his name. so n e thing new, chi chi?

**Warriormom123: **well i came up with a great new recipe 2day…its a bean soup

**BBscienceprincess: **u did? u should come ovr 2morrow and make it with me…i need 2 learn some new recipes

**Warriormom123:** haha don't u mean you need 2 learn *some* recipes?

**BBscienceprincess: **shut up :P

**Gokuimbecile: **iu luvb urtt soup chio chiop

**Bookguy11: **what is wrong with dad?

**Warriormom123: **i still havent been able to clean all the peanut butter out of his keyboard, Gohan

**Bookguy11: **oh

**BBscienceprincess: **vegeta, plz talk

**BBscienceprincess: **…

**BBscienceprincess: **vegeta, come on, u said u would

**BBscienceprincess: **ugh hes still acting like a big ba b

**Betterthanallofyou: **I'm acting like a baby? You're the ones spending all your free time in a chat room. You all need to grow up.

**BBscienceprincess: **lol

**Warriormom123: **lol

**Betterthanallofyou:** What?

**BBscienceprincess: **youre the one watching us, so youre just as bad :P

**BBscienceprincess: **haha

**Gokuimbecile: **haahsa vegyeta!1 shre biurned ui!

**Betterthanallofyou:** Whatever. You're all acting childish.

**Gokuimbecile: **You can get a free Bluetooth headset just by clicking this link!

**BBscienceprincess: **…ok… so n e way, chi u have 2 come ovr 2morrow! it would b so fun! we havent just talked in like 4ever!

**Betterthanallofyou: **Are you joking? That is all you two EVER do.

**Gokuimbecile: **You can get a free Bluetooth headset just by clicking this link!

**Warriormom123: **shut up vegeta

**Warriormom123:** of course I'll come ovr! it will be such fun 2 get 2gether again

**Gokuimbecile: **You can get a free Bluetooth headset just by clicking this link!

**Betterthanallofyou: **lol

**Warriormom123: **…

**BBscienceprincess: **vegeta, did u just say lol?

**Betterthanallofyou: **yes

**BBscienceprincess: **wow. why?

**Betterthanallofyou: **Lol. Kakarot already managed to infect his computer with a virus. Moron.

**Bookguy11: **lmao poor dad

*-*

***Many years later…***

All three saiyans laughed until their sides hurt, including Goku, who was just glad to see Vegeta smiling. Then they sat back and sighed. "Bulma really did have a way of getting you to do things I would never see you doing otherwise," Goku grinned.

"Ah, well, she was clever," Vegeta stated simply. He looked like he was about to add more, but then his face dropped and he looked off past the other two men as if there was something he could see on the opposite wall that they couldn't.

Gohan cleared his throat. "Well, I'm going to go check on everyone else; see how they're doing."

Goku nodded at his son and smiled as he left the room. As they heard the door click behind him, Goku and Vegeta looked at each other. "You know," Goku began carefully, not sure of what he wanted to say or even if he wanted to say it. "You both were so…hard-headed."

The princes face became more serious, and he nodded reflectively. "Yes, we were."

"And…" Goku started up once more, with a point that seemed to be trying to escape his mouth, but was being kept under careful guard by his lips. "Well, we all know _how_ you two got together…but none of us really understand what happened."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and looked at the other half of his race silently.

"I mean, Bulma never even told Chi Chi the _whole_ story. So…"

"…so…"

"So, what ever happened?"

Vegeta leaned back in his chair. "Well, Kakarot…that is a long story."

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**Ohhh boy, do I love reviews. **


	7. Wrong Place, Wrong Time Part One

**And the great Bulma/Vegeta Saga begins! Enjoy!**

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter Seven - Wrong Place, Wrong Time Part One_

Vegeta let out a sigh and began. "Well, as you know, it was a during the time I spent on Earth awaiting the androids' arrival…"

***Many Years Ago…***

"Vegeta," Bunny began between girlish giggles, "Where are you going, sweetie?"

He groaned inwardly. "Downstairs."

"Well, I can see that, silly," she gave him a playful slap on the arm, which the prince honestly considered for a moment as being good reason to blast the woman into oblivion. "What are you doing down there?"

"Seeking food," he answered curtly. Before the blonde bimbo could squeak out another pointless question, Vegeta turned abruptly into the next room. He would surely kill her if he was forced to walk any further alone with her, so he opted for a different route to the kitchen. Unfortunately, he had picked the wrong route.

The floor of the room he had chosen to enter was covered in blueprints, measuring tools, parts of machinery, and one frazzled-looking heiress. When Vegeta caught sight of the last item, he decided to start backing out of the room immediately, without asking questions. Then he heard a voice behind him, just outside the door.

"Vegeta! Vegeta, honey! Where did you go? Vegeta?"

Caught between a rock and a hard place, or rather, a harpy and a less noisy harpy, he chose the lesser of two evils and shut the door behind him, stepping all the way into the room. Catching sight of the white boots making their way toward her, Bulma ignored the intruder. A moment of silence passed between them, and with Bunny closing in on his location, Vegeta opted to cross the room casually and sit on the couch, away from the door.

"Woman," he began, trying to cover the obvious fact that he was hiding. "Why aren't you downstairs at your normal work station?"

Bulma continued writing, and retorted without looking up, "Why aren't you somewhere else poking your nose in someone else's business?"

Vegeta's face twitched. "What did you just say to me, wench?"

She sat up, blowing a strand of hair from her face. "Listen, I'm very busy and my dad's lab is under construction right now, so I have to work in here for today because he's in my lab…so just stay out of my way and neither of us will have a problem, okay, bucko?"

He stared at her, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. He was just about to reply with a few choice words when the door popped open and Bunny's head entered the room. Vegeta dashed across the floor to the other side, and stood behind a wall.

"Hey, sweetie!" Bunny addressed her daughter. "Have you seen Vegeta around here? I was just walking downstairs with him and having the nicest conversation, but then he disappeared!"

Bulma's head snapped immediately to the prince, who burned holes in her head with his eyes. She sighed and turned back toward her mother, deciding that while it would be fun to see him have to deal with Bunny all morning, it would be best if she just left the situation alone. "No, mom, sorry. Haven't seen him all day."

Vegeta repaid her good deed with less fiery eyes, and dropped his scowl for a moment. Bunny blurted out "Alright, well I'll see you later, dear!" and skipped off, leaving the two alone in each others' company again.

The prince reluctantly emerged from his hiding place to march over to the couch again. He wasn't going downstairs anytime soon, and he was too hungry to train at the moment, so he decided to play it safe and stay in the room with the busy blue-haired girl. She grinned up at him. "You were hiding…from my mother."

His scowl returned. "I thought you had a lot of work to get done. Get back to your papers, woman."

Bulma said nothing more. She didn't need to say anything more to know that she had embarrassed the alien prince. So, she dove back into her blueprints and the two sat ignoring each other for quite some time before Vegeta cleared his throat. He didn't say anything afterward, so she continued to ignore him. Then he cleared it again. She sat up. "What?"

"Nothing," he responded. She rolled her eyes and went back to her work. With the third throat-clearing she became irritated. "What do you want, Vegeta? Spit it out!"

He glared at her. "You're doing it wrong."

"What?" she tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

He gave a puff of air and slid down in front of her from the couch, pointing to a corner of her schematic. "There. That's supposed to be connected here. This _is _supposed to be some sort of spacecraft, is it not? If you connected those two, the whole board would short-circuit. You should connect this wire here." He finished his statement with a point below the area she had previously been looking at.

She turned the sheet on its side and stared at it. He was right. "How could you possibly know that?"

He grunted. "I just know it."

"Oh come on. I had years of schooling under my father, the most intelligent man on this planet, and you just corrected one of my blueprints that was based on one of his models. How could you know how to do that?" she asked, leaning forward on her knees to get closer to the couch.

He shrugged. "I was simply born to a race more intelligent than yours."

She crossed her arms. "Oh, please. Your race stole all the technology they ever had from someone else. Don't kid me, Vegeta."

He grinned. "I'm not."

She rested her head on her hands. "Come on, Vegeta. Tell me."

He turned up his nose at her pleading. "Fine." He looked down at her. "When I was growing up, I was raised by Frieza and his men, and I was allowed to fight with whomever I wanted, to kill whatever I wanted, and to eat and play as I chose. The one thing that Frieza was adamant about my not doing was learning. He constantly told me that a good warrior was one without distractions such as knowledge of things outside of fighting. So, being that I hated Frieza, I did the exact opposite to spite him, and became the one saiyan who understood more than just fighting."

She looked up at him with something he hadn't seen in her eyes for the entire time he had known her. It was admiration. And she was practically bursting with it. He shoved himself up from the couch and walked to the door. "So that's it? Because if you don't have anymore mindless questions for me to answer, I'd like to get some breakfast."

She glared at him once more. "Meathead."

"What did you call me?"

"Nothing. I said, enjoy your breakfast."

He grunted and exited the room. The rest of the day for him consisted of training and eating. At almost midnight, he stalked down the stairs to grab what he had come to know as an "apple" before heading back upstairs to get to bed. As he entered the kitchen, he came upon the blue-haired mess once more. He ignored her and made his way to the fridge. He didn't make it far before he heard his name quietly behind him.

"Vegeta?" Bulma murmured. "Could you do me a favor?"

He continued on his path. "No."

She frowned. "Please?"

"No."

Bulma sighed. "Alright…but I really could have used one of the universe's greatest minds to help me out here."

He turned. "What do you want, woman?"

She jumped up happily. "Okay, I want to turn this in by tomorrow to get a group of builders together for a prototype, but my dad is already in bed and he'll be busy all morning tomorrow…"

"So wait," Vegeta replied, turning his back on her.

"No, Vegeta. I wanted you to look it over for me so that I can just turn it in right away," she looked at him with her arms folded, glancing down at the project she had been working on all day with pride.

He sighed and reached into the refrigerator to grab the fruit he had come for. He took a bite, the crunch of the apple ringing in both of their ears as he sat down to take a look at the paper. Several minutes passed, and Bulma grabbed an apple as well. By the time they had both finished their apples, Vegeta had made a few changes, and handed the navy sheet of paper back to her. "There. Now bother me no further, woman. I'm going to bed."

She spread the sheet back onto the counter and looked it over. Before the prince had the chance to leave the room, she grabbed for his arm. "What is this?"

He snorted air from his nose as she grabbed him. "Those are the blueprints for your spacecraft."

Bulma was not amused. "Why did you change that? That's going to make it two hundredths of a percent slower!"

"And 600 percent more efficient."

She glowered at him as she read the schematic again. "You're wrong."

"I am never wrong."

She set her hands on her hips. "Then explain it to me."

"No. If I have to explain myself, then you're obviously much further behind than I thought, and I won't waste my time." He began to make his exit again. She stepped in front of him.

"Your idea is wrong. I'm changing it back."

He shrugged. "So change it back. Don't advance. That's no concern of mine."

"But you're wrong! Why won't you just admit it?" she growled at him, frustrated.

"Because I am not wrong. My mind is simply too advanced for you to comprehend.

"Ugh!" she screeched. "You're such an ass! How dare you talk to me like that!"

"Why? You're nothing special. I'm a prince. I can speak to whomever I please, however I please," Vegeta responded.

"_I'm_ nothing special? Me? The daughter of the richest man on Earth? I have billions of zenni at my disposal, I'm the second smartest person on the face of the Earth, I'm young, I'm gorgeous, and I'm dating one of the strongest fighters in the world! _I'm_ nothing special?"

Vegeta smirked. "You consider that weakling to be one of the strongest fighters in the world? Ha!"

She planted her feet for her next bellow. "It doesn't even matter if he is or not, he loves me at that's all that matters. Plus, he's a lot more handsome than you are, buddy."

He continued to grin. "You actually think he loves you? I thought Earthling custom was to only have sex with the ones you love."

She stopped. "What?"

"By those standards, he must be in love with many women, because I smell a different scent on him every time he drags his weakling carcass over here. In fact…" he closed his eyes to sense Yamcha's power level. "He's with a woman right now."

"You're lying!"

"Why would I? I have better things to do with my time than make up stories for you," Vegeta retorted.

"Liar!" was all she could think to shout at the leering prince. "How dare you?!" She lunged forward and slapped his face, indulging herself in the loud smack that followed. His eyes went up in flame and his nostrils flared. Luckily for the heiress, she followed up her move with a dramatic exit of the room, and rushed up the stairs to be away from him.

Vegeta was left in the dark kitchen alone, one palm to his face and a primal snarl on his lips. She would pay for this.

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**Reviews anyone?**


	8. Wrong Place, Wrong Time Part Two

**The next installment of Bulma/Vegeta. **

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter Eight - Wrong Place, Wrong Time Part Two_

"KEEEERRRACK! BOOM!" A droid fell to the ground of the spacecraft with a metallic thud. Vegeta wiped the sweat from his brow. It hadn't hurt.

"CRRRUNCH" The prince kicked in another sparring bot's circuitry. The slap hadn't hurt. The very idea of anything a simple earthling could inflict affecting him was preposterous.

So why was it affecting him?

He punched three bots almost simultaneously. Even as he trained, the same thought continually arose in his mind. How could he let her get away with that? No one had ever dared to touch him in any disrespectful way in his entire life. And yet, last night he had allowed her to strike his face and walk away. She just…walked away.

He blasted another sparring droid coming up behind him with more force than was necessary. Why had he let her live? Maybe it was that somewhere deep in his mind he knew that he didn't have the knowledge or patience to build the things that were necessary to his training, so he needed to keep her alive. Maybe it was the fact that he knew killing her would just incite a reaction from her friends and slow down his training for the androids. Maybe it was that his time on Earth was making him adopt their customs and refrain from his usual actions.

As much as he tried to convince himself it was any of these things, he knew that none of these explanations were the truth. He could deny it (and he intended on doing just that) but he knew exactly what the reason for his lack of reaction was. She intrigued him. She caught his attention like no one else ever had. She was…different. He hated her, this much was still true. But as time went on, he found himself less and less able to ignore her.

And that was why two days later he found himself inexplicably interested in her actions as the heiress dashed from room to room, primping and plucking, teasing and fussing. She dashed through the kitchen, head wrapped in a bright orange towel, and yelling for her mother. "Mom! Have you seen my eyelash curler?"

Vegeta winced. Why was it always necessary for her to shout? His sensitive saiyan ears ached at the screeching sound. He thought about commenting on her rude disregard for his presence, but realized that by the time he swallowed the bite of sandwich he had in his mouth, she would probably have rushed into another room anyway. So he watched silently as she twirled about the room, emptying out bags and picking up papers to look underneath. "Ugh!" she growled loudly as she continued to the next potential hiding spot. The prince's eyes followed her every move, not so much because of interest in her pursuits, but mostly because he found it funny how twitchy and spastic humans get when anything, no matter how insignificant, goes wrong.

He watched her search for over ten minutes, getting redder and redder in the face as she looked in each place. Finally, she stopped, turned abruptly, and marched over to the prince at his perch at the kitchen counter. "Alright, now I'm only going to ask this once, so listen up." She grabbed a scissors from the counter and shoved them in his face. "See these?"

He stared at her blankly, so she continued. "Have you seen anything like these, but with a curved top part with sponges on it?"

He gave her no reply, and she rolled her eyes and shook her head angrily, grabbing for the nearest pen and paper. She quickly scribbled out a sketch of the tool. "See? That's what it looks like. Have you seen it? It's very important."

He smirked and took another bite of his sandwich. "UGH! You're so useless! I don't even know why I bother!" she shouted, throwing up her hands and causing her towel to droop to one side of her head, letting a few strands of powder blue hair spill out. She stalked out of the room, mumbling something about stupid saiyan princes and beginning her search elsewhere.

A few minutes passed, and Vegeta grinned smugly to himself as he awaited her return. Sure enough, shortly after he had finished his first sandwich and moved on to his second, the heiress barreled into the kitchen once more to disturb the peace. "It just has to be somewhere!" she said to herself, digging through the silverware drawers. It was obvious that she was coming to her wits' end. So, as she passed the prince, he nonchalantly swept his foot out onto the floor in front of her, causing her to screech as she flailed her arms and was sent hurtling toward the ground. He waited until she was just about to crash into the hard linoleum head-first, when he shot a single finger under her collar bone. Her face was literally inches from the ground, and she stared angrily at first, then a wave of surprise passed over her face as she caught sight of what he had intended to show her.

Just in front of her nose lay the treasure she had been seeking. Pushing herself off the floor, she stooped to pick it up, and sent a glare toward the prince, who was leering bemusedly up at her, arms folded. "You think you're pretty funny, don't you? Well, there are better ways to help people out, you know!"

"Better ways, perhaps, but less entertaining," he replied, taking a bite out of a carrot.

She rolled her eyes. "Why can't you just act like a normal person?

"If you are an illustration of what passes for normal on this planet, I'd rather die," Vegeta responded, turning up his nose.

"Drama queen," Bulma muttered, leaving the room.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and followed her, even though he was unsure why. "You should watch what you say around me, woman. I don't think you quite understand how easily I could kill you."

She scoffed. "But you wouldn't."

His sidestepped in front of her as they walked. "Oh no?"

She smirked and shook her head. "Nope. I'm too charming."

Her response threw him for a loop, so he took a second before responding, "If you're so charming, why are you getting ready for another date with that-"

"Yamcha is more of a man than you ever thought of being. And don't think I've forgotten what you accused him of. You're already on thin ice, buddy," she replied before he could continue demeaning her boyfriend.

The prince scoffed. "If by 'man', you mean 'human' and by 'human' you mean 'weakling'-"

"Just drop it, okay?" she interrupted. "You don't know my Yamcha at all. And besides, why do you care so much all of a sudden who I'm dating?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He folded his arms and averted her inquisitive gaze. "I don't. I simply wonder why humans make such foolish choices in mates."

She placed a hand on her hip as if she were about to respond, but instead of opening her mouth, she closed the door in his face. Vegeta's nose twitched. She was certainly pushing his buttons. But he had training to do, so he settled for leaving the bathroom in peace and marching out of the building to his ship.

Later that night, Vegeta was performing his usual hunt through the refrigerator before bed when he overheard the sound of quiet sobs coming from the next room. He ignored them at first, but as he carried the items he had come across to the counter, he began to hear the muffled sound of a voice through cloth. As his curiosity grew, he found himself gliding across the floor to the other side of the room, up against the wall. He could see into the next room, but only slightly as he stuck his head around the corner for an instant. In the room, he could see Bulma and her mother sitting on the couch, Bulma's head buried under a pile of pillows. He backed away from the wall after taking in the sight and losing interest, and went back to spreading out his food items.

But as he did this, he could still hear Bulma's voice carrying in from the next room. "It was just awful, mom. I told him everything that Vegeta said, but I only told him as a joke! I didn't think he would actually take it seriously."

"Well, what did he say, honey?" Bunny's voice sounded more focused than Vegeta had ever heard it, which still wasn't saying much.

"He said that he never slept with any of those women. I just said it as a joke, but he admitted that he was with other women!" With this, Bulma's voice was muffled again as she cried into the pillows.

"But that's good news, isn't it, dear?" Vegeta rolled his eyes at Bunny's response and continued to dish leftovers into a bowl for heating.

"Mom! The point is not that he didn't sleep with them! He was with other women on dates! And when I told him that I didn't want him to see anyone else anymore, all he said was 'Well, I'm not really a one-woman kind of man, Bulma'. And we got in this huge fight and then…" Bulma sniffed before bursting into tears once more. "We…broke…uuuuup!" she gasped out between sobs.

Vegeta listened to the cooing comforts of the bewildered Bunny, who still couldn't figure out what the problem with dating other people was, even though the couple had been going out since Bulma was a teen. He sat down to his meal, wishing that the annoying noises would subside, and twenty minutes later he got his wish. Bulma thanked her mother for her comforting words (or, at least, her attempt at comforting words) and sniffled away the remainder of her tears. "Alright, mom, thanks. But you should be getting to bed. I'll be up soon, don't worry."

Bunny gave her daughter a kiss on the head and went up to her bedroom more silently than was normal for her. Vegeta tried to eat as quietly as possible, hoping not to attract the attention of the blubbering heiress…even though it would be interesting to see her admit he was right. As he expected, Bulma entered the room soon after her mother left. But it wasn't to see the prince. It was to rummage through the fridge. She ignored his presence until she had a plate of cookies and a glass of milk in her hands. Then she sat down next to him as he ate, munching in silence.

Finally, the silence was broken. "You're a man, right?" she asked in a manner more aggressive than he had expected. "Like…you've got all the man 'equipment', don't-cha?" she continued, taking a less-than-elegant bite out of her cookie.

Vegeta didn't answer. He just stared at her. He'd never seen her act like this before. Was this how all human females act when they're spited by their male counterparts? If so, he silently vowed to stay away from Bulma and the rest of the females when they were having man-troubles.

She eyed him. "Are all men in your species pigs, too?"

He stopped eating and set down his spoon. "Well," he gave it some thought. "As of right now, fifty percent are."

She looked at him quizzically, and stifled a grin. "Why do you hate Goku so much?"

He acted as if he hadn't heard the question. He knew the answer, but it wasn't something he was about to tell her. She picked up on his resistance, and dropped the matter. "So. You're supposedly not a pig? How, exactly, are you any better than the rest of the males on Earth?"

He leaned forward, relishing in her withdrawal from him, and positioned his lips only inches from her ear. His raspy voice drifted lazily past her cheek and his words tickled her skin. "In more ways than you could ever imagine."

Before she knew what she was doing, Bulma turned her face to take in his eyes. Vegeta had no idea what was happening. He had intended to intimidate her, and now she was intimidating him. Before he could pull away, he suddenly felt two lips pressing up hungrily against his. He felt Bulma's hands reach out to touch his face, but when he realized what they were doing, he abruptly shoved himself up and out of his chair, backing away from the situation. He looked back at her face, which was just as shocked as his, if not more so.

He couldn't believe what had just happened. That…harpy, had…kissed him! He wasn't sure whether to leave the room, blast the girl from existence, or…

He walked forward, pushing her body against the counter forcefully, and shoved his mouth up against hers once more. He was unsure of what he had done, what he was doing now, and what he was beginning. He watched as the panicked look in her eyes slowly dissolved and she began to kiss him back. But, as soon as her hands wandered from their grip on the chair to entwine themselves in his hair, he pulled away angrily, causing a loud crash as he knocked plates from the counter top. He cast one look at her, and quickly began to back away. Bulma pushed the hair from her eyes and revealed the horrified look on her face. She got up to exit the room, and as she ran up the stairs, he slowly backed into the next room. What had just happened?

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**Reviews. Tehy are teh shiznit.**


	9. Wrong Place, Wrong Time Part Three

**Just so everyone knows, this fic will be following the actual show quite closely when it comes to the arc of their relationship over time, so if you're not in for a lot of back-and-forth, you should probably just read something else. ^^**

**Anyway, let's get on with more VxB! **

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter Nine - Wrong Place, Wrong Time Part Three_

"Ugh." A groggy Vegeta found himself stumbling down the hallway for the bathroom at a very late hour of the afternoon. The past night's events had caused him to seek refuge in his ship for training, and he had been up hours later than he was used to blowing things up and kicking things in. He had decided that the best way to deal with the situation was to pretend nothing had happened, and the best way of doing that would be to exert himself to the point of exhaustion. He had awoken the next day lying face down on cold metallic tile with lipstick on his mouth.

So, as he staggered down the corridor the next afternoon, he found himself never having wanted to scrub at his face more. He reached the sink at last and attacked the red stain with soap and steaming hot water. Rubbing at his chin brutally, he finally managed to cleanse himself of it, but was left looking pink anyway. Once he had rid himself of the horrid face paint, he showered and changed into his around-the-house clothing in order to grab a bit of breakfast. Sliding on the silly yellow pants and completing his outfit with the now-familiar "badman" shirt, he toweled his towering black spikes off as he wandered down the stairs in search of food.

As he neared the bottom of the staircase, several enticing scents wafted up into his nostrils. Bacon? Eggs? Pancakes? No…not pancakes. Waffles. Even better. Bunny must have been cooking, rather than Bulma or one of the robots. At least the woman was good for _something_, Vegeta thought, smirking to himself as he entered the kitchen, eager to partake.

Unfortunately, the still-dazed prince had been so engrossed with the delicious smells that he hadn't noticed the unwelcome breakfast guest who had arrived on the scene before him. He suddenly halted his gait and stared at the intruder, who beamed up at him, cheeks stuffed to the brim with _his_ food. Goku's eyes watered slightly as he downed it all with one gulp, clearing his mouth for a split second to greet Vegeta before promptly stuffing it with more sausages. "Hey Vegeta!"

He scowled. "What are you doing here? Don't you have your woman to cook you breakfast?" he asked with folded arms, refusing to even look at the disgusting sight of Goku's gobbling.

Goku struggled to swallow again before grinning up at him. "Not breakfast. Brunch!" he stated happily, as though brunch was the best thing to happen to him in ages…which it probably was. Vegeta wasn't so elated. He frowned at his response, then grabbed for a plate and stacked seven waffles on top of each other.

"What are you doing here, Kakarot?" Vegeta finally asked, reaching for a fork.

"She invited me," Goku answered simply, through the food in his mouth. He pointed behind himself, bringing Vegeta's attention to the one person he wanted to be around less than Goku at that moment. Bulma entered the kitchen, which seemed to be the place they interacted at the most. The prince knew he might run into her here, but a saiyan's hunger isn't easily overpowered, and now they were both forced to face the music…or in this case, the awkward silence.

Bulma made it obvious that she didn't want to be anywhere near him by silently dishing herself a plate and sitting on the far end of the island. After several minutes of silence, Goku looked back and forth between the two averted gazes. "What's up, guys?"

"Shut up, Kakarot," Vegeta answered without looking up from his meal. Bulma's eyes speared through him.

"Don't talk to him like that! Goku is my guest," she snapped.

"Leave it to you to invite that clown over," Vegeta replied with an edge in his voice.

"Ohh, thank you _so_ much for the tips on houseguests, Mr. Popular!" Bulma retorted, angrily leaning over her plate toward the prince.

"So how great are these eggs, huh, guys?" Goku interjected nervously, before the argument could escalate.

"You're such a jerk, Vegeta!" Bulma yelled, completely ignoring Goku's attempt at breaking the tension in the room. He looked back down into his plate and awaited the rest of the fight. When Bulma wanted to be angry, there was nothing anyone could do to stop her. She was like a freight train. You just had to get out of her way and let her run her course.

Vegeta smirked across the table, indicating that he was about to say something totally uncalled-for. "Well, well. You didn't seem to think so last night, did you, woman?"

That was it. Bulma stood up from the table and slammed her plate into the sink, causing both the saiyans to wince at the sharp noise. She didn't even look at Vegeta as she stalked out of the room in a fury. Vegeta had no response. He simply went back to cutting his food and placing the neat squares into his mouth.

When he had finished his meal, Vegeta left poor Goku to dine alone, walking out of the room without another word to the other saiyan. He came around to the front of the building where his ship was, and felt the warm grass springing up beneath his feet, putting thoughts of Bunny with her ever-present garden hose or watering can into the prince's mind. He shook his head with disgust. Why did she always seem to pop into his head at his most irritated moments?

He entered the ship with more anger than he was bearing before. As he set the gravity level and changed into his training clothes, he felt his emotions stirring into borderline rage. He was angry at so many things, and on so many levels. He was angry at himself for fraternizing with humans. He was angry at Bulma for putting him in that situation. He was angry at the mysterious boy for showing up seemingly for the purpose of showing up the prince of all saiyans. He was angry at Goku for surpassing him, and now keeping secrets from him as if he were the saiyan of higher class. Vegeta's blood boiled at that thought, and he punched a sparring droid into the wall so hard that he afterward realized that he had punched a hole straight through it, and he could now see the outside.

He went back to his training, but as he did, the thing which he was most angry about presented itself. It wasn't the androids, or the purple-haired boy, or even Goku that was most upsetting him right now. To his disdain, the image that continually popped into his psyche as the face of Bulma Briefs, just last night; a look of shock and horror plastered all over it.

He had seen it in movies. He had seen it on television. He had even seen it first hand every time that pathetic excuse for a fighter was around the complex with the heiress. And every time Vegeta had seen the act that he had performed last night before him, both partners had seemed to enjoy it. Why was the result not the same here?

It wasn't like he wanted to like it. He didn't even want her to like it, really. But in some ways, he did want to see the result of his actions turn out to be something better than shock and dismay. Didn't the foolish woman know who she had been lucky enough to kiss? He had every right to be horrified at the person he was with, because she was a low-level human who drove him up the wall day and night. But the blue-haired girl had nothing to be shocked or disgusted about. She should count herself lucky!

Sure, maybe he had scared her a little with the plates he had smashed directly afterward. But he had every right to act that way. The woman was repulsive! And yet…

"Warning! Warning!" The air around him turned a deeper shade of red, and the prince was never able to finish that thought. He flew quickly over to the center console to read the screen, but it was too late. Vegeta looked up to see the walls crashing down around him and suddenly, everything faded to blackness.

He awoke later. He wasn't sure how much later it was, or for that matter what day it was, or what room he was in. But his confusion was only increased when he sat up to see Bulma sitting slumped over in a chair next to his bed. What was she doing here?

He sat up, pulling at his bandages, which awoke the sleeping beauty. "Vegeta, don't pull on them," she said more softly than he had ever heard her speak before. She pushed her chair from the desk that she was sitting at, and stood up to fix the bandages around his head from falling into his eyes. "There. Now, do you need anything? I don't want you getting up yet. How about some water?"

He thought about it, and as much as he hated to agree to anything she offered him, his throat was parched and he found himself licking his lips just thinking about the cool liquid. "Yes. Bring me some water."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, your majesty."

He watched her leave the room, and noted the lack of bite in her voice when she had spoken to him. Even her sarcastic comments were more playful. What had happened? When she reentered the room, she had a glass of ice and a pitcher, and poured some out for him. "Here. Now my father said that you shouldn't be up and around for at least today, if not tomorrow…but I'm sure you'd rather have it just be today. And no training at all for at least a week."

He scoffed. "Right."

She folded her arms. "I'm serious, Vegeta. No training, got it?"

"Sure," he smirked, taking another long drink from his glass and shoving it back into her hands, awaiting his next refill. After he had had his fill of water, he relaxed his body back into the bed. He noticed that she had not left the room yet. "What are you still doing here, woman? Don't you have somewhere more important to be?"

"No," she answered without skipping a beat. "I'm most concerned about you getting better right now." As she said this, he wasn't sure what to think that she meant by it until she added, "You're going to save my life one day, I think. The least I can do is make sure you get back to training condition."

He wasn't sure why she was acting so civil toward him, but he took in her explanation with a grunt, and leaned back into the pillows. She looked at him for a while, and then added, "But I can leave if you want me to."

This threw him for a loop. Normally he couldn't stand to be in a room with her. He didn't know what to respond now, so he cleared his throat. "If you don't wish to leave…" Where to go from there? He paused, looking up at her awaiting face. "It's your place of living, not mine," he finally finished.

This seemed less than a pleasing response to her, but she pulled her chair next to his bed anyway. "So," she started tentatively. "Did you puncture your ship while the enhanced gravity was on?"

After a short pause, he nodded. "Yes. I did."

"Why would you do that? I thought you knew all that stuff about mechanics. You should have known that could cause the ship's gravity to malfunction," she scolded him.

"I was busy training. I didn't notice," he lied. "And besides, if I were you, I wouldn't be the one to lecture on wise decisions."

Her head snapped to attention. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Unless I was dreaming, I saw you running to my aid with that clown in tow," he grinned.

She folded her arms. "Just because he was at my house doesn't mean we're dating. He is still my friend, you know."

"Hmph," was the prince's only response, and for the first time their discussion didn't escalate into an argument.

"I thought you were dead, you know."

He wasn't sure how to reply to that. "That was a great underestimation of my strength."

She nodded. "I know. It was only for a second. I was so scared."

"I'm fine," he stated matter-of-factly.

The two looked into each other's eyes for a split second, and Vegeta noticed for the first time how easy it was to get lost in them. He looked away quickly, turning his head to the opposite side of the room and refolding his arms.

She stood. "I'm going to get some playing cards."

He raised an eyebrow. "Playing cards?"

"Yes," Bulma grinned down at him. "To keep you from getting bored. We can play card games."

He didn't answer, choosing not to point out how irritatingly boring that sounded. "Fine."

As she left the room to get the cards, Vegeta watched her once again. He noticed that for the first time, he wouldn't mind it so much when she returned.

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	10. Wrong Place, Wrong Time Part Four

**Sorry about the little hiatus there. Hopefully you can forgive me :S. This chapter was written on a lot of cough-syrup, but re-editted later, so there shouldn't be any problems that I didn't catch. Let me know if there are, though, as usual. ^^ Hope you enjoy! **

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter 10 - Wrong Place, Wrong Time Part Four_

"Today's the day!" Bulma chirped cheerfully as she entered the room of the snoozing saiyan. She marched straight to the blinds and flung them open with glee. Sunlight flashed into the room, causing Vegeta to pull the covers over his head with a groan.

"Woman! Get out of here! I will decide when it is time for me to..." he paused and there was no sign of life from under the comforter for quite some time. Then he cleared his throat. "What day?"

The heiress pranced to the other side of the room, tugging on his sheets with anything but restrain. "The first day you're allowed to be out of this gloomy old room," she answered. Vegeta was not so enthused.

"You disturbed me from my rest just for the purpose of telling me that I am free to leave this room?" he could already feel the vein in his forehead beginning to swell.

"Not just this room. Any room! You're free to go outside and take a walk, or even a light jog. You can get some fresh air and start to work those muscles again!" she replied with a smile. "Come on, get out of bed and go enjoy yourself." She offered him a hand of help, knowing he would refuse it.

He didn't surprise her. Pushing her hand away from his body, he sat up on the bed. "I will go outside when I please. Until then, woman, you will bother me no further!"

Bulma frowned. "What?"

"Get...out." He pointed toward the door.

"How rude! I come in here telling you all this good news, and just as I'm about to tell you all about the big breakfast downstairs for you, you decide it's time for me to leave? If you ask me, you need to learn to respect-"

"When I say leave me be, I _mean_ it," he began to stand up from the bed to intimidate her into leaving, and just as he rose, he caught the scent of something wonderful. "Servant woman," he paused. "Did...did you say something about breakfast?" he asked suddenly, already beginning to feel the moisture accumulating in the corners of his mouth.

Bulma's features softened slightly into a cocky grin. "Why, yes I did. And not just any breakfast. A breakfast fit for a saiyan prince."

She certainly knew how to stroke him the right way...what was she up to? Vegeta didn't ponder this thought for very long, however, before he was ambling out the door and down the hall. He rushed down the stairs, apparently racing some unseen competitor for his food, and slid into his seat at the kitchen island miles ahead of his human attendee. He was practically drooling all over his plate by the time Bulma reached him, and was sitting like a cartoon character, knife and fork in hand. "I have one question, woman."

She rolled her eyes and faced him. "What is it now, Vegeta?"

He eyed the food in front of him uneasily, full of temptation and distrust. "Who made this food? Was it you?"

The words, "No, but-" had barely escaped her lips before he attacked a pile of pancakes like a starving animal. Bulma shook her head as she began to pour a glass of orange juice. "So what are you planning to do with all this freedom?" she asked, taking a sip.

He took a breather from his rapid inhalation to answer her question as he reached for a few strips of bacon. "I plan to continue my training." His answer was dripping with irritation, as if he couldn't believe she would ask such an obvious question.

She shook her head. "Oh, no you don't. Remember? No training until you're better. I don't want you out there running yourself ragged, just so you can march back in here and expect me to fix you up again."

He sneered at her, only holding back his tongue on account of the food filling his mouth. "Mff" was all he managed before realizing that his response at the moment would sound anything but intelligent, and deciding to hold off until later. Bulma smirked and glided to the other side of the room to pick up a newspaper. Tracing her finger around the lip of her glass, she eyed the prince closely as he ate.

Vegeta continued to munch away. His initial hunger contained, he was now taking the time to cut his food properly before ingesting it. Feeling her eyes on him, he suddenly stopped mid-forkful and shot a glance in her direction. "Why are you staring at me, woman?"

Bulma didn't reply right away. Instead she gazed out the window past him. This only irritated the prince further. "Well? Spit it out," he growled.

"I _do _have a name, you know," she replied instantly. Over the past few weeks, this had become a sort of mantra for the two. He would continually call her "woman" or even "servant girl" when he really wanted to get under her skin, and she would always reply in the same aggravated fashion something along the lines of "That's not my name!"

This time, though, she kept her tone even, and her voice light. She leaned in toward him, causing the prince to shift uneasily. "Well? What is it?" he snapped.

"I was just wondering..." she continued. She was hesitant, but knew how long to draw out his patience, which wasn't long. "If you would do a favor for me."

Vegeta scoffed and returned his attention to his food, not deeming the question fit for an answer. Bulma raised herself from her seat to travel to his side of the island. "I thought you might feel that way. Listen, I have a deal for you. I want to go shopping. I need to make a stop for groceries, clothes and shoes. And you want to train, right?"

He didn't answer so she went on, "I promise to give you the entry codes for your ship at the end of the week if you go shopping with me today. Just a two-hour trip, and I'll let you train a whole week early."

"Forget it."

"What?" Bulma squeaked. She really hadn't expected him to turn it down so soon.

"If you need someone to carry your things, why don't you get one of your servants to do it for you?" Vegeta asked, following up his question with a swig of orange juice.

"First of all, they're called 'employees', not 'servants'. Secondly, It's Saturday. No one's here working. And I don't want to take a robot because it's boring having no one to talk to while you shop," Bulma whined. "Come on, Vegeta. Think about it. Two hours in a store, and you'll be back training in no time."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. Well, he had found out what the big breakfast was buttering him up for. The more he thought about it, the less shopping seemed to be the end of the world. He glanced at her eagerly awaiting eyes and blew out a breath. "You will supply me with the codes by _this_ Friday?"

She nodded.

"And you will not force me to do anything but carry your purchased items?"

She nodded again.

There was a long pause. "Fine."

She let out a squeal, which he noted had less of an impact on his eardrums than usual, as had most of her outbursts since he had snapped at her the previous night about his sensitive ears. At least the woman could take orders. Granted, she was the one who picked which orders she would follow, but...

Several minutes later, Bulma was dashing down the stairs, dressed in a completely new outfit toward the saiyan prince, who was just finishing his meal. He looked her over and rolled his eyes at her excitement. "Alright, let's get this over with."

She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward the door in a flurry of hairspray and expensive jewelry. Half an hour later as they entered the store, Vegeta was still grumbling about not being able to fly there, rather than waste valuable time in such a "ridiculous contraption." Bulma ignored him and power walked into the store, leaving him to mumble to himself as he followed her path.

Vegeta had been on commercial planets before, but he still found himself taken aback at the sight of the earthlings' shopping center. He followed Bulma as she dashed from store to store, "scoring big-time" in the shoe departments and boring the prince to no end. Finally, they reached the last store on the heiress's list. They entered the store, making a bee-line for the makeup department and Vegeta sauntered behind the blue-haired beauty, dozens of bags in tow. Had he been a normal man, he would have been exhausted by this time. But that was the beauty of taking saiyans out shopping.

Leaning up against a wall, Vegeta stared boredly out the main window, waiting for Bulma to find the sweater she wanted in "just a little more of a...sea foamy shade of green". His attention was quickly drawn away from the front of the store, however, and toward the path of a man who seemed to be sidling up next to Bulma. The prince continued to produce all the signs of boredom, but his eyes never left the stranger. Just then, the man made eye contact with Vegeta and began to back away from the girl and make his way toward her male counterpart. He drifted over to him with a smirk on his face, and murmured in a low voice, "Hey, buddy. That one yours?" He nodded his head in the direction of the heiress.

Vegeta ignored the man, refusing to break his gaze from the doorway. Then he heard the man whisper as he walked away. "Guess not. Nice piece of ass, eh?" he asked, awaiting some sort of affirmation from the prince. At this, Vegeta felt himself bristle. He watched more closely as the stranger made his way back to Bulma, his hand slowly dropping to his side, sweeping outward casually in an effort to grab her hindquarters. No sooner had the man's hand begun to extend than Vegeta shot forward across the isle to ram the man viciously into the wall, t-shirts and jeans falling around them.

He gripped the stranger's neck tightly as he hissed into his quivering face, "_Never_ come near my woman again." The man bobbed his head violently up and down, and just as he did so, Vegeta realized what he had just said. He dropped the offender like a bag of trash, and backed away slowly, not sure what to do next. He was snapped from his thoughts by the voice of an enraged heiress. "Vegeta! What do you think you're doing?!"

From this scene, all the way home, he received an earful about terrorizing the general public and what kind of damage control her family's publicist would have to do to wipe this from the front page. But even her screaming couldn't pull him from the daze he continued to return to. He couldn't believe what he had said. What was wrong with him?

When they reached the Capsule Corp. complex once more, Bulma stalked upstairs to put away her newfound treasures, and Vegeta was left with a moment's peace until she returned down the stairs to put away the groceries. "And I can't believe you would pull a stunt like that, being that you're supposed to be soo smart and all, knowing that I have the codes to your ship!" she continued her shouting, seemingly not missing a beat from her trip upstairs.

She closed the refrigerator for the last time, putting away the final bag of vegetables, and turning to Vegeta. "I just don't believe you! What did that guy even do to make you so mad?"

"Nothing," Vegeta replied instantly. "He did nothing."

"Nothing? I find that hard to believe. Why would you just hit someone like that for nothing?"

"I never did such a thing. I was simply warning him," the prince replied uneasily, then turned to walk toward the stairs. Creating the pair's classic pose, Bulma stepped in front of the irritated saiyan, crossing her arms in front of herself. "Oh, no. You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on with you."

"Mind your business, woman. I accomplished the task you set forth. Now leave me be," he pushed her aside, only to have her slide in front of him again.

"No, Vegeta. Tell me what's gotten into you. I can't have you running around terrorizing people all the time. What was it about that guy that made you do something like that?"

"His face."

"What?" Bulma tilted her head to the side.

"I didn't like his face. So I told him," Vegeta finally answered, averting her incriminating gaze.

"You didn't like...his face?" she paused for a few seconds. "You're kidding me! How immature can you get? You're like a big toddler. I can't trust you to behave yourself because the stupidest little things set you off!"

Vegeta felt his fists begin to clench. "Get out of my way, now, woman."

"You're unbelievable. You know that?"

"Get out of my _way_," he warned her through gritted teeth.

"What? Are you going to slam me against a wall, too? I just can't believe-" Her statement was cut short as her body was thrown against the nearest wall, hitting it with a soft thud. Vegeta held her there, pushing himself down on her to quiet her aggressive speech with his mouth. He forced his lips on hers, and this time, he didn't pull away. Vegeta's hands held her arms tightly against the hard surface as he pressed their lips together in a fit of passion.

After a few seconds of blinding intensity, he finally pulled away from the breathless girl, who stared up at him with a look in her eyes which was not fearful in any way. Rather, she gazed back at him telling him with her eyes that she felt everything that he did. The prince's breathing was heavy, and he struggled to regain his composure. Bulma opened her mouth to speak, but both pairs of eyes were drawn away from the situation as they heard a knock at the door.

Bulma looked up at the prince, wanting to say something. For the first time, Vegeta found himself in need of an explanation for his actions. He wanted to tell her things. Things that mattered. Not just idle insults, but perhaps something more. In any case, he wasn't able to, since she began to straighten her hair and walk away from him, ending the moment abruptly to answer the door. He stood in the kitchen awaiting her return as he watched her walk to the back door. As she opened it, they were greeted with the last sight Vegeta wanted to see at that moment.

Yamcha stood outside on the step dressed in a suit and tie, holding a bouquet, which he promptly shoved toward the still red-faced Bulma. "Hi. Listen, I know this is short notice, and I know we're just supposed to be friends now. But I just had to tell you, Bulma. I still love you. And I want to get back together. Just us, this time. No tricks. No one else. Just us."

Bulma stared at the man, jaw agape, and through robotic movements, accepted the flowers. "I...I...can't believe you're really here. I can't believe you're doing this."

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	11. Wrong Place, Wrong Time Part Five

**Sorry for the long wait, but I felt that the "finale" of this mini-series should be all in one piece. There is no lemon, as I wanted to keep this rated T, and more on the appropriate side of things. **

**Let me know if you guys would rather see this is in two parts, being that it's rather long in comparison to the other chapters. **

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**Coming Clean**

_Chapter 11 - Wrong Place, Wrong time Part Five_

Yamucha brushed a patch of hair down, attempting to look more presentable. He grinned uneasily, awaiting the heiress's response to his flowers. Obviously he hadn't noticed the prince's presence yet. "So? What do you say? Will you give me another shot?"

Bulma was speechless. Her eyes shifted from Yamucha's position at the door over to Vegeta's. Or rather, Vegeta's previous position. The Saiyan had left the room without a sound. She backed away from her visitor uncomfortably. "Will you excuse me for just a minute?"

She dashed back into the kitchen, slamming the door in her suitor's face. "Vegeta?" she hissed into the hallway. "Come on, Vegeta, where are you?" Bulma continued her trek from the kitchen all the way down the hallway and to the back door which led to the yard. There she finally spied the prince on his way out to his ship. Throwing the door open, she called after him. "Vegeta, wait up! Where are you going?"

He didn't falter. "Use your eyes, woman. I'm going to train."

"Training? Right now? How could you even think about that after what we just-" she was interrupted by the loud bang of the ship's door closing. Her eyes widened in surprise for a split second, then narrowed. "Oh, if he thinks he's getting out of it _that_ easily, he's got another thing coming…" she grumbled to herself as she used her key to access the ship's exterior control panel.

The door popped open soon afterward and she stormed in. "Listen, Vegeta, don't worry about Yamucha, okay?"

The Saiyan didn't turn from his post at the center of the ship where he was striking keys with more force than was necessary. She didn't sense any kind of response from him, so she continued. "I don't feel the same way I did about him anymore. He means nothing more to me than a friend now. We won't ever be dating again."

Touching the final key to ready his training settings, Vegeta finally turned to look at her. He folded his arms exasperatedly. "Is there a reason you've chosen to inform me of this?"

For a second, Bulma was struck dumb. Finally she blurted out, "Be-because of what happened back there-"

"What 'happened back there' was nothing more than a lapse in judgment. I suggest you forget anything like that ever took place."

"Hey, buddy," Bulma snapped out of her stance. "_You're_ the one who kissed _me_, remember? You're telling me, right now, that you have no feelings for me whatsoever?"

A smirk blazed across the prince's mouth. "I may have _some_ feelings for you." His eyes traveled up and down her body, emphasizing his point. "But I can assure you that they are not the kinds of feelings you're hoping for." He turned back to the center console and added over his shoulder, "Now run along, silly girl. I have work to do."

Bulma could do nothing but clench her fists and stare at the arrogant ass. "You-you…" She took a deep breath and let it out in an exasperated burst. "Fine, then." She turned and marched down the stairs without another word. Hearing the hum of the gravity machine behind her, she strode up to the kitchen door from the outside, coming upon the still-nervous Yamucha, who was tapping his foot and attempting to straighten his flowers.

Grabbing him by the wrist, she pulled him along beside her as she marched straight up to his car. "You're taking me on a date," she stated simply, opening the door and plopping herself in the passenger seat.

"I-I am?" He glanced down at her confusedly. Meeting her fiery gaze, he corrected his tone. "Oh, I mean…I am!"

Yamucha excitedly hopped into the driver's seat and turned on the engine. "I knew you'd come around, babe," he said with a grin.

Bulma blew a strand of hair from her face. "Yeah, sure. Just drive, okay?"

Meanwhile, the prince wiped a patch of sweat from his brow. He had no need for such meaningless attachments - this he knew to be the truth. This is what he had known to be the truth for all of his life. He wasn't about to change his ideas for some…stupid girl.

Correction: stupid _human_ girl.

Why was he even giving it this much thought? Part of him believed it was because of Kakarot. Ever since he had come to this planet after namek, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have lived his whole life like Kakarot had. To have a family and all those idiotic friends. Perhaps there was more to it than he thought.

Of course, he never delved any further into the idea than that. He had never truly given it any deep deliberation. Just fleeting wonderments that came about when he trained or before he went to sleep at night…that was all. Now it was more of a conscious thought. The prince wasn't sure why these notions meant anything more now than they had before, but for some reason, he wondered - Was it possible that his friends and family weren't weighing Kakarot down? Was it possible that they might, in fact, be the reason behind his strength?

More importantly - Was it possible that these attachments might work in the same way for Vegeta?

Taking a break from his training, the prince lowered himself to the ground and wiped the sweat from his eyes once more. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to pay the buffoon a visit. Useless as he may be intellectually, he would still make a good sparring partner. And it could also offer the prince a chance to see if the way he interacted with his family had anything to do with his training, and maybe even get a few questions answered.

Unfortunately for Vegeta, this much was enough to talk him into making the trip out to the Sons, against his better judgment. He stepped out from his ship into the evening air and took off in the direction of the rest of his race.

When he arrived at Mt. Paozu, Vegeta wasted no time in pounding on the door, interrupting the family's dinner. He waited none-too-patiently outside as he heard a chair push back from the table inside the house. Chi Chi opened the door. "How can I-" she started off with a respectful smile, which quickly dropped at the sight of the visitor. "Oh. It's you. What do you want?"

The prince wore an even less pleased face than she did…if that was possible. "My business is with Kakarot."

Right on cue, Goku's face popped up behind his wife's in the doorway. "Hey Vegeta!" he greeted him with all the reserve of a four-year-old with ADHD. "What are you doing here?"

"I need a sparring partner," Vegeta stated simply. "Are you up for the task, Kakarot?"

"Sure!" Goku's eyes lit up with glee. "I just have to finish eating first - be right back!"

The elder Saiyan didn't have time to respond before Goku had dashed back to the table and begun shoveling food into his mouth. The prince turned up his nose at the disgusting eating habits displayed. Just then, Goku grabbed a bowl of something and lifted it toward him. "Rou rant thumb?" he asked through the noodles in his mouth.

Vegeta raised a brow and didn't answer, so Goku swallowed and repeated himself. "Want some?"

"You disgust me."

Goku cocked his head to the side. "So…no, then?"

The prince didn't supply any further answers, so Goku shrugged his shoulders and went back to scarfing down the food. When he had finally finished his entire meal Goku was out the door in a flash, kissing his wife goodbye and patting his son on the head. When they had stepped outside, the pair took off into the distant hills, reaching their destination of open space in an intstant. They touched down in a small valley a few miles from the Son house and immediately got to fighting.

Vegeta couldn't deny that his Saiyan blood was making him feel excited, nigh giddy, at the prospect of fighting his rival. But the prince had to remind himself that the real reason he was here was to find out more about what went on when Goku wasn't fighting. So, he allowed himself to relish the chance to spar with him, even though he knew well that it was too soon to fight him full-on, since he hadn't achieved the Super-Saiyan status of his rival.

An hour went by, and soon the both of them were panting. Goku wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned. "You've really improved, Vegeta."

The prince bristled at this. He couldn't believe the audacity of the moron. How dare he patronize the prince of all Saiyans! But, he resigned himself to fold his arms in defiance and nothing more. Now was not the time.

After a few minutes of silence had passed between them, Vegeta finally ventured one raspy question. "Why did you do it, Kakarot?"

Goku smiled confusedly. "Do what?"

"Do that," the prince answered, pointing back toward his fellow Saiyan's house. "All of that. Why did you choose to live that way?"

The younger of the two didn't hesitate in answering. "I didn't. It kind of…chose me. I made some decisions that led me there. Marrying Chi Chi was one of them. It all just kind of…happened. Now that I have it, though, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

"Yes, but _why, Kakarot?_ Why would you want to have so many people depending on you? Why would you want to be around your son all the time? And…why would you choose to marry that harpy?"

Goku just grinned nostalgically. "Well, first off, I like having my friends depend on me. It means I can do things for them to show them that I care. I want to be around my son all the time because he's my family, and he's like a part of me." He hesitated. "And…well, I didn't exactly choose to marry Chi Chi right away."

This pricked the prince's interest. "What do you mean?"

"Well, at first…" The Saiyan grinned sheepishly. "I…sort of thought a bride was something to eat."

Vegeta couldn't help but grin at his stupidity. "That seems on par with you, Kakarot."

"Yeah, well," he scratched the back of his head and moved the conversation along. "Anyway, when I found out that it wasn't, I decided that marriage was something I didn't want. But when I told that to Chi Chi, she got really sad. Right then I realized that I never wanted to see her like that again, and if marrying her was what it would take to make her happy, it would be worth it. So, I married her, and now I know it was the best choice I've ever made."

"But how can that be?" Vegeta spat out. "She constantly orders you around and she screams like a banshee."

Goku laughed at this. "Well, that may be true, but for one thing, she's not like that all the time. She's a loving mother and a good wife. She just gets fed up with me a lot. And can you blame her?"

"I suppose not," Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"It's kind of like…she's my other half," Goku continued. "Even when she's yelling, I know that sometimes she needs to yell to get through to me. I know that she loves me, and I love her. And no matter what she's acting like, when I look at her, I see my other half."

Vegeta rolled his eyes again, but this time at the Saiyan's words. "Alright, Kakarot. Forget I asked. I had no idea you had so much of that romantic garbage stuck up in your head."

Goku just laughed and mimicked the fighting posture Vegeta was assuming. "Whatever you say, Vegeta."

"That's right. Now let's get back to it, shall we?" The two of them went at it for the remainder of the evening until Goku finally had to return to his house to see his son off to bed. Goku thanked Vegeta for the workout and he replied with a "Hmph, sure," and took off back toward Capsule Corp.

When he arrived, the prince considered flying straight into his room from the window as he sometimes did, but the hunger from his training made him decide to make a quick stop in the kitchen first. He came in through the back door and immediately set about emptying the refrigerator. As he closed the door after grabbing an armful of items, the prince noted that he didn't sense Bulma anywhere. She must still be out with her "date". To his surprise, Vegeta found himself grimacing at this thought. He shrugged it off and began to munch on the pear in his hand and the ham on his plate, more or less at the same time.

It was then that the front door burst open, and Bulma twirled in happily. She glided into the kitchen to snatch a bottled water from the fridge and ignored the prince's presence entirely as she dashed upstairs. This only served to irk Vegeta, and he put it out of his mind as he finished the rest of his meal and headed up to his room.

If she wanted to ignore him, that was fine by him.

Days passed, and still neither had said a word to the other. By this time, it was actually becoming a challenge for Bulma to avoid being around the prince. Her father's occupancy of her workstation had gone on longer than she thought, and her favorite places to work around the house also seemed to be Vegeta's favorite after-hours spots to relax. Not to mention the fact that no matter how many times Yamucha showed up to take her out again, she refused and stayed at home.

Their vows of silence were finally broken one afternoon when Bulma sat in her usual seat at the kitchen island, her hair a mess and her eyes growing tired. She had yet another blueprint sprawled across the counter and was talking it over with her father. He didn't seem as certain as she was about it.

"Dear, I don't think this is coming together quite the way we had planned. Perhaps we should consider just scrapping the whole idea."

Bulma sighed. "Dad, I really think we could make this work. It seems like we could design something that looks like this…" She scribbled a sketch of another part on a piece of notebook paper. "…and it would work just fine."

As if on cue, Vegeta entered the room for his afternoon lunch break. He didn't seem to notice the two other people in the room as he headed straight for his giant, white best friend.

He was stopped, however, by Dr. Briefs. "Hold on for a moment there, old boy. I believe we could use your help."

"Dad-" Bulma attempted to interrupt him.

"Now wait just a minute, dear, I really do think he could help us. After all, wasn't he the one who helped you with that last project?" The doctor addressed the prince again. "Now, do you think you could take a look at this for us, my good chap?"

Vegeta sighed and turned around to give the papers a once-over. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could service his stomach.

"Fine," Bulma interjected. "Here. If he thinks he can fix it, let him try." She tossed her pencil at the prince, who picked it up immediately, made some changes to Bulma's drawing, put it down, and calmly walked over to the refrigerator, his work done.

Looking over Vegeta's work, both the doctor and Bulma were impressed and taken aback. "By jove, dear!" her father exclaimed. "With the help of your Saiyan friend, here, you've perfected this model. Why, it's almost as if you two were each others' missing half!"

Seeing the reaction he received from both sides of the room, Dr. Briefs cleared his throat. "I, er- strictly as a team of engineers, of course." He didn't sense the mood improving, so he decided to change the subject. "My dear boy, how did you know the piece we were missing?"

"It was similar to one of the components of the early scouter models," Vegeta answered flatly, reaching for a left-over sandwich.

The doctor gave him a good-natured slap on the back. "Well, thank you, my boy. You've saved us a lot of trouble." Then, with a smile, he left the room.

As he chewed his food, Vegeta watched the heiress gather up her things to leave the room. As he focused his attention on her, he wondered if what Goku had said was true. Despite himself, he wondered if there really was such a person in the universe who would show him his other half.

Feeling his eyes on her, Bulma looked up. "Thanks for your help, Vegeta." He heard only a twinge of irritation in her voice.

He didn't answer, and she gathered up her things and left the room. He stood there for a long time afterward, staring at the counter and wondering.

Later that night, Bulma sat on the couch downstairs, watching TV for the first time in a long while. She usually used it only to take her mind off of things…which was exactly what she needed right now. She sighed as she stretched her limbs over the couch and reached for her drink. When she turned back to her previous position, she saw a figure entering the room from the dark hallway. "Dad?"

As Vegeta stepped in, she changed her tone. "Oh, it's you."

He grunted in response and crossed the floor to the couch. The prince sat down, being careful not to touch the heiress's feet, and reached for the remote. He began to flip through the channels, earning a howl from the blue-haired girl. "What do you think you're doing? I was watching that!"

"Now you're watching this," Vegeta replied without looking at her.

"Hey, come on, give me the remote!" she pouted as she reached for his hand. "There are like, a dozen other TV's in the house. Why do you want to watch this one, anyway?"

He didn't answer - just continued flipping channels.

Bulma wasn't about to give up that easily. She sat up and reached for the remote, which Vegeta nonchalantly raised above his head without even looking at her. "You're going to have to do better than that," he leered at her.

"Oh?" She placed both hands on her hips for a moment. Then, suddenly, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Panicking, he started to edge away from her, but it was too late. She delicately planted a kiss on his lips, melting his body and causing the remote to drop immediately to the couch.

She smiled, pleased with her own shrewdness, and grabbed for her prize. What happened next, though, she hadn't expected. The prince snatched both of her wrists with lightning speed and pinned them to the couch cushions. Before she knew what was happening, she felt his lips pressing hard against hers, and she realized she was lucky to be sitting down as she lost all feeling in her legs. She closed her eyes and allowed him to ravage her mouth. Finally, she fought against herself to push him away. Vegeta sat back on his haunches, allowing her to pant until she had regained control of herself enough to ask him, "What is this? Why are you doing this?"

He shifted his weight to press himself against her again, and offered two words as a response. "You're beautiful."

Somehow, from the look in his eyes, she knew he meant more than just in her looks. He stood up from the couch and lifted her up, carrying her to his room. He set her down gently, then forced her onto the bed somewhat roughly, and kissed her in a way she had never been kissed before.

An entire night passed in flashes of sheets and skin for the both of them. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that they both lay panting to catch their breath afterward.

It was almost dawn when Bulma finally sat up, the moonlight gracing her skin and hair, making her disheveled appearance look even more gorgeous to the Saiyan who lay next to her. She was quiet for a long time, and the prince waited for her to speak. Finally she murmured a question. "Are you going to leave?"

He hadn't expected that to be the first thing she said afterward. The Saiyan prince thought for a long time before answering. He knew that she didn't just mean tonight. She knew that his only purpose for being on Earth was to fight the androids, and that his plan was more than likely to leave afterward. He let out a breath slowly as she nestled back into the crook of his shoulder, awaiting a response. "No," he answered finally. "I am not going to leave."

She smiled at this as she drifted off to sleep, and Vegeta wondered if this was the feeling Kakarot had told him about. After giving it more thought, however, he decided that he didn't much care. If this wasn't the feeling he was supposed to be having, it was pretty damned good, anyway.

* * *

**The upcoming chapter will be Goku/Chi Chi-centric, so I hope you're all ready for a change. ^^**

**In the meantime...reviews?**


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